James Castle
by Bouncing Soul
Summary: Harry/Punisher X-over. The Dursleys are killed when Harry is 5 and he is rescued by an unlikely hero and believed dead. What happens when he rejoins the Wizarding world in his 7th year and a witch tries to figure out his secret?
1. Prologue: War Journal

James Castle

**James Castle**

**Prologue: War Journal**

A man in his early thirties sat in a dark hotel room, his gaze fixed on the small lump in the bed. He eyed the lump curiously, taking a drink from the bottle of alcohol he had in one hand. He let out a breath as he pulled his other hand to his mouth, pressing the record button on the small tape recorder. "War Journal, date is September 13th, scratch that, 14th by now," his eyes narrowed as he thought over the events of the night. "Mission was botched from the get go," he mused, taking another drink.

"I got a tip about Dmitri being in the area on a mission, turns out a money launderer for the Russian mob was skimming off the top, so they sent him in to clean the whole family out as a lesson," he continued in a monotone. "By the time I got to the house, he had the job done. The place was on fire, he was standing outside, smoking a cigar waiting for me," he thought back to the meeting.

"_Hello there Frank, fancy meeting you here," the Russian smiled as he took a large puff of the cigar. "I hear you have been looking for me, you don't approve of my work? I'm hurt," the man taunted._

_"You're a criminal and a killer, I am going to end your sick little life tonight," Frank replied, his hand resting on the handles of his pistols._

_"Not very likely Frank, I think I have information that puts us at a standstill here tonight," the Russian laughed as he turned on Frank and walked towards his motorcycle. "I killed Dursley, his wife, and his child as I was paid to, they were dead 45 minutes ago, before I started the fire," he explained calmly. "Turns out they had a dirty little secret," he tilted his head at the house. "I'm not a monster Frank, I just like to make things interesting," he laughed as he straddled the motorcycle. "Under the stairs, hopefully he hasn't died from the smoke yet," Dmitri mock saluted Frank before driving off._

"The job was done when I got there, Dmitri had a plan to keep me occupied," he frowned at the tape recorder. "When he left I broke down the door and entered the house, the place was well on it's way to be an inferno. I found the stairs he mentioned fast enough, but the sick bastard had wired the door under the stairs to blow," his gaze softened at the shape on the bed.

_"Anyone there?!" Frank shouted through the door, trying to listen for any signs of life. He heard something faintly, glancing down to see fingers belonging to a small hand sticking out from the bottom of the door. "Damn it," he swore as he realized the person trapped was a child. He went away from the locked door to the stairwell, pulling out his sawed off shotgun and started shooting, at an angle that he wouldn't hit the kid. After half a dozen shots, he had chipped away the wood enough that he could break it apart with his hands. "Anyone here?" he asked as he stuck his head into the hole he had made._

_The kid in the closet, no… it was his room, Frank realized, was terrified, curled in the corner in a fetal position, coughing from the smoke permeating the house. "Don't hurt me…" the kid cried as he rocked back and forth._

_Frank extended his arm across the small room, nearly reaching the kid. "I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to get you out of here now," he said softly. "I'm one of the good guys, trust me," Frank smiled as the kid slowly shuffled over and was lifted from the wreck of a stairwell. "It's okay, you're safe now," he comforted the kid as they made their way to his van across the street. "Here, get some rest while I get us out of here," he set the kid on the middle row of seats, draping his trench coat over him._

_The kid's eyes looked over Frank as he settled in to rest. "Thank you…" he whispered before unconsciousness took over._

"Kid passed out once I got him out of that place, and after what I saw, if Dmitri hadn't killed that family, I probably would have," he glared at the recorder. "The building went up properly as I was driving away, the explosives he put on the kid's door must have been the good ones, I doubt any bodies will ever be found," he rubbed his head taking another drink. "I pulled Max up on the video link as I was driving back, I wanted to see if he had any idea how Dmitri knew I was coming."

_"Frank, you look like shit," the man's accented voice started talking before the video feed got running. "Ran into some trouble, did you?"_

_"Can it Max," Frank glared at where he knew the camera lens was. "Dmitri knew I was coming, he was waiting for me."_

_"I'll make some inquiries, what kind of a trap did he set for you?" the man apologized as the video screen came up finally._

_"The family was dead when I got there, he had the house on fire and rigged to explode. They had a kid locked under the stairwell Max, Dmitri let me know before he ran off," Frank let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in._

_"Jesus, is the kid okay?" Max questioned his partner._

_"Yeah, I had to shoot the stairwell apart to get him out. Dmitri was kind enough to wire the explosives to the door to the closet they kept him in," Frank said coldly. "He's out like a light now, from all the smoke inhalation and god knows what else they did to him," he responded. _

_"What you gonna do with him?" Max inquired._

_"I'm gonna drop him at first hospital I can get him into and me out of safely," Frank replied after a bit. "Kid threw me for a loop when I saw him, looks a lot like Junior did, with that messy hair and all," Frank allowed himself a small smile._

_"Getting all nostalgic on me there Frank, I never would have guessed it from you," Max laughed._

_"Yeah, that's where it ended though, kid's eyes are brightest green I have ever seen, I swear they almost glowed in that room of his," Frank laughed. "Got an ugly scar on his head too, gonna need a good plastic surgeon to get that lightning bolt off," Frank chuckled, not noticing the silence from his partner. "You still there Max?" he waved his hand at the camera._

_"Frank, pull over now, show me the kid's face," Max said in a voice that Frank knew meant business._

"I always knew Max had some strange ways for getting information and all, but this was way out of right field," he said before taking a large gulp from the bottle. "An entire society of magic users, living among, but hiding from the rest of us," he exhaled deeply. "Can't blame them though, what with how mutants have been treated the last few decades," he glanced over as the kid stirred in his sleep.

"From what Max told me, that kid is the real deal though, somehow beat the biggest and baddest of the wizards when he was a year old," Frank relaxed a bit. "No family left though, lost them a long time ago," he looked at the alcohol he was swirling in his bottle. "The kid needs protected, Max said his name was Harry," he finished as he clicked the recorder off.


	2. Chapter 1: Hogwarts Express

**James Castle**

**Chapter 1: Hogwarts Express**

"I told you, I don't have any food," the young man with messy black hair glared at the large cat sitting on his lap, purring loudly. He sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his seat, not willing to force the animal to move since it didn't know any better. He had claimed the last compartment on the Hogwarts Express an hour before the train was to depart, finding the cat in a carrying case and a trunk stashed in the overhead compartment being the only other occupants. When the train had started he let the mewing cat out, only to have it claim the spot on his lap that it had held for the last hour.

He noticed the door crack open a little several times during the trip, but no one had bothered to enter the compartment. Finally the door opened and a surprised girl entered the compartment, obviously not expecting to see anyone there. He examined her for a moment, taking note of her tied back brown hair, small black framed glasses, and Head Girl badge. "I assume this is yours," he gestured at the cat, nothing her jaw drop. He watcher her as she sat down opposite him, wishing she wasn't wearing school robes so he could get a better look.

"He doesn't like anyone, besides me and my best friend Ginny," he replied as the cat opened his eyes to look at her. "Come here Crookshanks," she patted the seat next to her. The cat growled as he was made to move, but made his way over to his master, settling on her lap, giving her a look before closing his eyes again. "I haven't seen you before, who are you?" she raised her eyebrow at him, taking in his appearance. He looked to be her age, short messy black hair, brilliant green eyes, and a black set of robes hiding the rest of him. She wished he didn't have the robes on so she could examine him better as well.

"James Castle, transferred here for my seventh year," he extended his hand across the compartment, his sleeve riding up, showing clear white skin on his forearm. He noticed her eyes checking out his arm as she extended her own, shaking his hand.

"Hermione Granger, Head Girl this year," she introduced herself. "Where did you transfer from? You don't sound like someone from Beauxbaton's or Durmstrang," she relaxed a bit, setting back into her seat.

"I was home schooled by tutors over in the States that my Uncle Frank hired," he shrugged. "Haven't had a proper education yet, we figured it would be best for me to get one year of schooling with people my own age," he smirked at her. "Now, that was pretty rude a minute ago, when you shook my hand, I'd expect more from a Head Girl," he smiled as she stared at him shocked.

"What do you mean?" she questioned him. "Eeep!" she squeaked as he stood and leaned across the compartment, putting one hand on the wall beside her head and grabbing her hand gently with the other.

"Checking my arm out for the Mark while not bothering to flash me yours," he whispered in her ear before pulling her sleeve up a bit and settling back into his seat after seeing the clear skin. "Your cat trusted me, animals usually have a pretty good nose on sniffing out dark wizards," he smirked as he noted her face growing red and angry.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times as he chuckled, noting her anger. "What…that…" she stopped her stammering as he actually let a laugh loose from his lips. "You thought I might be a Death Eater?" she screamed at him, tears in her eyes.

He froze as he saw the tears swelling in her eyes, immediately looking away. "Sorry, you checked me out, so I figured…" he trailed off as she focused on her cat, stroking it, not really looking at him. "Who did you lose?" he asked her after a few minutes of silence and purring. She didn't look back up at him, instead focusing on the cat.

He grunted, getting up from his seat, settling next to her. She stiffened as he gently touched her hand. "You can talk to me, I understand," he said quietly, holding her hand, pulling it from the cat.

"How can you understand…" she whispered to herself. "I'm a muggleborn, they killed my parents during my sixth year, how can you possibly understand?" she glared at him before giving up and crying.

"It's okay," he comforted her, startled as she lurched to hug him, the cat yowling as it was sent to the floor unceremoniously. "They killed my family too, back before I could even remember, Uncle Frank raised me," he confided in her. "At least you got to know your parents," his voice caught for a second before it went silent. They sat there for a while before the door cracked open and a girl with pale blonde hair slipped in, across from them.

"Hello Hermione, your ride has been eventful I take it?" the girl smiled at Hermione who was wiping away the last of her tears.

"Yes Luna," she smiled back. "Let me introduce you to our new transfer student, James Castle," she gestured at James who had released her when Luna entered the room. "James, this is Luna Lovegood, she may seem a bit out of it, but she is brilliant and a bit of a seer," she explained, noticing James tighten up a bit at the seer part.

"Pleased to meet you, I was wondering when you would come to Hogwarts," Luna greeted the black haired boy, smiling knowingly.

He stared back at her, not blinking, just thinking to himself for a moment. "How did you know I was coming here?" he asked her.

"Oh, I've always known, the fates were very particular that I would know," she said dreamily. "They do not disapprove, you know," she added quietly. "I should get going, see me to the door Mr. Castle?" she stood, extending her arm for James to take.

He stood quickly, eager to get the blonde away from himself, not liking what she was saying. He opened the door for her, seeing a blonde boy his age, drawing a wand at them. "Relative of yours?" he asked quickly.

"No," Luna shook her head, smiling.

Hermione followed them to the door, gasping when she saw Draco Malfoy drawing his wand while James and Luna whispered. She fumbled to draw her wand to stop Draco, but it was too late, everything was moving too fast. She winced as she heard a body drop to the floor in pain, but was shocked as to what had occurred. James rubbed his knuckles, wiping a bit of blood off them as he escorted Luna from the room, over Draco's body. Her mouth hung open in shock, not knowing to laugh or penalize everyone. The choice was taken out of her hands when James entered the compartment again and locked it behind him.

"You hit him?" she looked at the green eyes staring into her own.

"Broke his nose, more likely," James replied with a smile. "He'll think twice before drawing his wand on unsuspecting people again," James glanced down where she was still unconsciously fumbling for her own wand. "You need to work on your draw," he sighed, placing her right hand on her wand.

"You hit him… He's the Head Boy, this is going to cause such trouble," Hermione grimaced.

"I doubt that, we have three witnesses that he pulled his wand on us, besides I didn't hurt him that bad," James snorted. "But like I said, you need to work on your draw, he would have easily caught you unaware today…" James stopped and took her free hand, holding it in his own. "And I don't mean your wand either," he whispered as he guided her hand between her robes down to her thigh where she felt him place her hand on the metal of the pistol. "If you have the guts to carry a weapons such as this, you should be prepared to use it," he said coldly, releasing her as the train slowed down. "Until we meet again, Hermione," he bowed before leaving the Head Girl alone in her compartment.


	3. Chapter 2: Sorting Hat

**James Castle**

**Chapter 2: Sortings and Punishment**

_Again I sing to the future souls,_

_To those whose future holds many roles._

_Long has Hogwarts stood as home of the strong,_

_Past this year, the time of magic will not be long._

_Brilliant Ravenclaw, house of the night,_

_Darkness covers most, but one light._

_The light shall stand, knowing my song,_

_By end of this year, shall right the wrong._

_Loyal Hufflepuff, strong against the Mark,_

_One of your own taken by the Lord of the dark._

_The castle will aid you in your retribution,_

_Should you ask, you shall find a solution._

_Brave Gryffindor, stalwarts against the shadows,_

_Between themselves, this year they shall come to blows._

_The power of the dark is strong,_

_At the end of school, from this world it will be long._

_Cunning Slytherin, grabbing the power you always sought,_

_You have power, but live as slaves to others have fought._

_Pray that all your blood money has been spent,_

_For on the wings of the dark, comes punishment._

The main hall of Hogwarts was silent following the voice of the hat. It had started to sing the moment Fawkes brought it from Dumbledore's office, it's words and actions stunning the collective student body to the core. Hermione had a quill handy and had transcribed the words as a reflex, as if she was in a classroom, staring blankly back at the words on her parchment at the end of the Gryffindor table nearest the teachers.

"What do you suppose the bloody hat means this time?" Ron Weasley nudged her side, breaking her concentration. "Hello, earth to Hermione?" he pestered the girl until she gave in and turned to him. They had been friends for the last six years, she helping him with his schoolwork, he being the shoulder to cry on, especially after her parents were killed last year.

"Sorry Ronald," she apologized as he rolled his eyes at the use of his name. She removed her glasses after tearing her gaze from the parchment where she had transcribed the hat's song. "I don't really know Ronald," she turned the song over and over again in her head. "Bits and pieces, I can understand, I have a good idea what they mean, but as a whole…it sounds bad for the Slytherins," she mused.

"Good for us then, isn't it?" Ron asked as she relaxed and watched the parade of kids to be sorted. Ron Weasley was not a good student, he wasn't a bad student for that matter, but not much got into his head besides Quiddich. He had relied on his friend Hermione for years in regards to help with his schoolwork, toying with the idea of taking their friendship further, but unable to see her as more than an older sister.

"That it may be Ronald, that it may be," she frowned at the parchment, folding it away in her bag for later. "There he is Ron," she pointed towards the end of the line of first years at the larger figure in back robes behind them.

"Never heard of a wizard family called Castle, think it's an American thing?" Ron replied, taking a good look at the new seventh year. "What house do you think he'll be in? He looks like a good size for a chaser…" Ron continued on, lamenting the loss of all three of his chasers from last year. "Honestly Hermione, I'm the Captain, I have a reason to think about it," he hung his head at her indifference towards the sport. "Punching Malfoy like that too, may not have heard of them, but I bet the Castles are some powerful wizards," Ron grinned as he glanced at Malfoy's face, the nose not quit healed and a bit puffy yet.

"I don't think his family are wizards Ron, I think they were muggles killed in the first war with You-know-who," she replied as she slipped her glasses back on.

"What makes you think that?" Ron questioned her.

"Had a bit of a talk with him on the train, he's definitely muggle raised," she nodded at James who was staring back at her.

"Taken a shine to the new kid, have you?" Ron kidded her before he elbowed him sharply.

"Quiet Ronald, he's next," she looked towards the teachers' table as Dumbledore took a moment to speak.

"In addition, this year we have a transfer student, he came here to complete his NEWT year, please welcome James Castle," Dumbledore and the other teachers politely clapped, besides Snape that is. The cheer from the crowd was thunderous from three of the four tables, word having spread of the incident with Malfoy on the Express.

She smirked as James sat uncomfortably on the stool that was made for first years and the sorting hat was placed on his head. He rolled his eyes up at the hat and frowned, wanting to say something but unable to while under the hat. "Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed after a moment before James grabbed hold of it and tossed it at Dumbledore. He turned his back on the teachers and made his way to the table where Hermione and Ron made room for another seat between the two of them.

"Good to see you again James," Hermione said calmly as she noted him staring back towards where Dumbledore set the hat on the teachers' table.

"No one told me anything about a damn hat that could read my damn mind," he glared back at her before taking the seat she offered.

"The sorting hat is a magical artifact, created by the founders, whatever it sees, it cannot tell unless the person it was about is willing," Hermione went into teacher mode, not noticing as Ron drew James into Quiddich talk as the food was served. "There's no hope…" she muttered as she noticed the two of them inhaling food as fast as they could, grunting one word answers and questions to each other. "Manners!" she slammed her fist down on the table after enduring the two of them for a few minutes. "There are first years to set a good example for here," the pointed her finger at Ron before poking James in the side. "He may be incorrigible, but you know better," she glared at him.

"How so? Think you have me figured out Hermione?" he eyed her coldly.

"You're obviously muggle raised and muggleborn, I know for a fact there are no magical families with the last name Castle, so that means you were taken in after you lost you parents," she said the last part so only he could hear. "I saw how you acted on the train, everything in it's place, you can drop the slob act," she continued in a soft voice.

"Just trying to fit in Hermione, letting loose can feel good every once and a while," he shrugged as he replied to her, but continued to eat at a much more polite pace. "This ought to be interesting," he muttered under his breath to Hermione and Ron as he pointed towards Malfoy and Snape talking as they walked towards the Gryffindor table.

"They can't take points for what he did before he was sorted, can they?" Ron paled as the pair stopped at the end of the table to talk to James and Hermione.

"Miss Granger, I am disappointed to see that you have already failed to discipline a student who struck the Head Boy in front of you," Snape looked down his nose at them. "Apparently your appointment as the Head Girl was unwarranted, as I expressed to the Headmaster at the end of last year," Snape continued.

"She didn't do anything, so you can go ahead and leave her alone right now," James said sharply as he got up from his seat, shocking the great hall. "If you have something to say, you had best be saying it to me," he glared back at Malfoy and Snape, stepping around Hermione so he was between all the Gryffindors and Snape and Malfoy.

"Stand aside boy, you are out of your league here, she has broken school rules, and swear to Salazar, I will have that Head Girl badge," Snape glared back at the boy with hate in his eyes.

"Hogwarts bylaws, chapter 3, paragraph 2," James recited from memory as everyone silenced. "I was not a student and under your jurisdiction until I set foot in this castle, which that train is not part of," he deadpanned as Snape's face grew more pale that before. "Bylaws chapter 1, paragraph 1, chapter 1 for that matter," he closed his eyes for a moment before glaring back at Snape, noticing Dumbledore's smile at the head table. "No student or teacher shall draw a wand on another, save for in the classroom for teaching purposes," he smirked at Malfoy.

"What is the fool talking about Professor Snape?" Malfoy's calm demeanor cracked a bit as he noticed the worried look on Snape's face.

"I took the liberty of having a complete set of the school rules, the original ones, sent to me before I came here," James replied as he stepped past Snape to Malfoy. "And all their amendments for the past thousand years," James stepped face to face with the blonde. "You drew your wand on the Head Girl and a future student without provocation, I think it is your Head Boy badge that is in more danger," he grinned at Draco.

"What…how…" Draco stammered as Snape collected his bearings, glaring at James. "You! You filthy mudblood!" he raised his wand at Hermione. "I will not let you take what is mine!" he shouted as the end of his wand started to glow green.

Hermione didn't duck or hide from Malfoy this time, thinking back to the train. The rest of the Gryffindor table scattered as Ron tried to drag Hermione away from the glowing wand tip. "Hermione, move!" she heard him plead, but brushed him off, standing up against Malfoy.

"Not anymore Draco," she glared back at him, pulling her own wand free in a second, having changed where she kept it due to James' lesson in the carriage. "No more," she glared back at him, her own wand tip glowing bright red against his green.

"How's the nose?" James asked suddenly, causing Malfoy and Hermione to both turn their heads towards him at the same time. Hermione's eyes widened as she saw the fist headed towards Malfoy's face and heard the crunch of broken cartilage for the second time in as many hours.

"Castle!" Snape yelled at him, pulling his own wand on the boy. James saw him pulling the wand and kicked out with his leg, knocking the wand from the Potions Professor's hand. When Snape's face turned from following the path his wand took back towards the student, he joined Malfoy on the ground, following a similar crunch of cartilage.

James seemed to hop about on the balls of his feet, with his hands raised, looking for more challenges, but stopped when Hermione started yelling at him. "James! What are you doing?!" she shouted at him. "You are going to get expelled!" she was almost in tears as she yelled at him.

"Quite to the contrary Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as he walked down to them, directing McGonagall to take Snape and Malfoy to the hospital wing. "James here is quite versed in the bylaws here at Hogwarts, I sent him a copy before he agreed to come here. I was quite disturbed by what the actual rules stated, rather than what the Board of Governors had been publishing the last several decades," Dumbledore smiled.

"Although I may not approve of how James brought the situation to light, the important fact is that he did," Dumbledore chuckled before placing his wand to his throat. "Attention all students and faculty," his voice boomed over the castle. "Several irregularities have come to my attention over the summer, regarding the bylaws set forth by the Board of Governors here at Hogwarts," he explained. "There will be several informative packets set in each common room when you retire tonight, explaining the situation, to create a duplicate, simply place your wand to the pamphlet and recite 'Repicos'," he explained before he removed the wand. "Have a good night now children, I assume there will be no more problems?" he directed the question at Hermione.

"Yes Headmaster, I'll stop him from doing anything else," Hermione glanced over at James who almost laughed. "Try to at least," she grimaced as Ron pulled James to his seat, asking him all manner of questions, mostly about Quiddich.

**--**

Later that night, after she had escorted James to the Gryffindor common room, she sat on the opposite end of the couch as him, watching him watching the fireplace. Ron had been grilling him for over an hour about Quiddich before James finally admitted he flew and would go out for one of the open Chaser positions if Ron wanted. Ron had graciously accepted and left them alone, deciding to get some sleep.

"You like watching me or something?" he asked her, not looking up from the fire. The common room was empty, they had chased all the younger students away earlier as it was growing later. Even the other seventh years had gone to sleep already, leaving the two of them alone, well past midnight.

"Sorry," she blushed, looked towards the fire herself. "How did it feel?" she asked after watching the fire crackle for a while.

"How did what feel?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Hitting them like that, putting them in their place," she met his eyes.

"It hurt a bit, punching someone bare-knuckled like that is not meant to feel good on either end," he rubbed his fist absentmindedly.

"That's now what I meant," she replied as she moved and took the seat touching him, grabbing his sore hand in her own.

"I know," he replied, resisting the urge to pull his hand away, instead letting her massage it gently.

"Thanks James," she sighed as she rested against his shoulder, keeping a hold of the captured hand, looking at the fireplace.

"How long?" he asked her out of the blue after they sat there together for a good quarter hour.

"Hmmm?" she asked, raising her head to look at his face.

"How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep?" he replied, looking at her sadly.

"Not since mom and dad got killed," she replied, gripping his hand tighter, resting her head on him again.

"Shouldn't you get something from the hospital wing here then?" he frowned at her.

"Doesn't work," she replied softly. "I feel safe with you though," she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his chest, holding on for dear life. "I figured it out you know," she whispered, looking up at him with sleep in her eyes.

"Figured what out?" he glanced down at her, patting her head softly.

"You being raised by your Uncle Frank, like you said on the train," she nuzzled into his chest. "My granddad was in the RAF back in WW2, he kept up on some things over the years, drives my grandma crazy," he felt her laugh into his chest. "I know about Frank Castle," she whispered before she drifted off to sleep, her arms wrapped carefully around his tense torso, avoiding the pistols strapped there.

**AN: Anyway, might be no updates til next weekend, writing and workdays do not mix very well for me. In regards to the hat, I felt the obligatory need to do it, so sue me. This is the only warning anyone will get from me from here on out by the way, if you are reading a HP/Punisher X-over that is rated M, don't be offended when I get to the nasty parts.**

**Anyway, I shall try to have do up another chapter tomorrow afternoon/evening, but I have obligations in FFXI and a Steelers game to watch, so stay tuned and will get more written when I can.**

**Also in regards to Boo's review: I have tried to write epic huge chaptered stuff before, but I can't really seem to do it, I seem to have to force it, and it comes out like crap. Most of these chapters will be in the 2500-3000 words per chapter area because I really think I can do the scenes I want to do in that area, and it keeps the story fresher IMO if the chapters don't drag on forever. Think of it like movie scenes.**

**Anyway, might have Ch3 up Sunday, might not. Cross your fingers and hope RL is kind to me if you want it. (Reviews help preempt my TV watching and video game playing too btw, but not very often, this weekend was an exception with the incredible response I got after the Prologue and Chapter 1)**

**Oh yeah, if anyone really feels like BETAing chapters before I post them, feel free to PM me. I don't want flowery crap either, tear me up, I'm trying to make this something people want to read.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Grim

**James Castle**

**Chapter 3: The Grim**

Hermione woke up as James shook her gently, calling out her name. "What time is it?" she asked as she released him and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, glancing at the windows, seeing a bit of light outside.

"Six or so, the sun is just coming," he told her. "I figured you'd want to get up before everyone saw us out here, behavior not very becoming of a Head Girl and all, spending the night with a boy," he explained.

"You should have woke me up earlier, you didn't have to stay out here all night," she frowned at him.

"You said you knew about Frank before you nodded off," he looked at her face.

She bit her lip and nodded her head in response. "I'm not going to tell anyone, but I want you to teach me to shoot," she glanced down and patted her leg where they both knew the pistol was.

"You brought a pistol here for protection and don't even know how to fire it?" he almost laughed.

"In theory I do," she looked back at him. "But I haven't had a chance to really practice much," she admitted.

"Deal, you keep my secret, and I'll teach you to shoot that," he agreed, getting up from the couch stretching. He helped her off the couch, leading her to the stairway to the girls' rooms. "I'll see you at breakfast," he smiled, giving her a short hug before heading towards the boys' rooms.

He opened his trunk quietly, making sure not to wake his roommates. He recognized Ron Weasley, but didn't really get the time to talk to the others last night, having spent most of his time with Ron and Hermione. He pulled on a set of workout clothes and quickly changed into them, making sure the others were asleep as he secured his two pistols in a secret compartment in the trunk. He pulled a smaller handgun from the trunk, securing it to the small of his back with another holster.

He quickly made his way out of Gryffindor tower and the front door of the castle, relaxing as he took in a breath of the morning air. He looked around as he stretched his sore muscles, trying to find a good place to exercise. "Damn girl, my neck is killing me," he swore as he worked out some soreness. "Need to sleep in an actual bed tonight," he grumbled before he took off at a jog towards the lake.

He took a few laps around the lake picking up the pace on the last one, finishing near the edge of the forest. "Forbidden forest eh, doesn't look so dangerous," he looked into the darkened woods a moment before starting the morning regiment of exercises that Frank had taught him years ago. After half an hour or so, his muscles were on fire. He stopped his workout, getting back to his feet and conjured a bottle of water that he drank down quickly.

He stretched some more, working out some more of the kinks that he blamed on the night on the couch with Hermione. He noticed a shadow moving in the forest, keeping it in his peripheral vision. He dropped and started doing some pushups as he got a good look at the shadow. After finishing his set, he got back to his feet and looked right at the dog. "Hello there," he extended his left hand, motioning the dog to come to him. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly as the scraggly dog walked out of the woods, sniffing at the air, licking the boy's hand. "No collar eh," James scratched the dog's neck. "Guess you don't belong to the gamekeeper Haggrid," he watched the dog carefully.

"Which brings me to ask naturally," James stopped as he pulled his wand with his free hand, pointing it at the dog. "Who are you, and who are you working for?" he took a step back from the dog, keeping his wand trained on the confused creature. The dog cocked his head to the side, looking at the boy strangely. "You can cut the dog act, whoever you are," James rolled his eyes at the dog. "I'm going to stun you in ten seconds if you and let Dumbledore sort it out, worst case is I get in trouble for being paranoid," the boy shrugged and started to count down.

The dog barked sharply when he reached three, and changed into a man with scraggly black hair. "How did you know?" the man asked as he kept his hands raised, examining the boy.

"You didn't act right, a wild dog would never have come close to me, and a pet would not have stalked me like you did," the boy explained. "Who are you?" he asked as the man pushed his long hair out of his face.

"Sirius Black," he answered as James swiftly pulled his pistol out with his other hand, pointing it and wand at the man. "Who are you? That's the important question," Sirius asked him sadly. "You smell a lot like…" he stopped as James closed the distance and pressed the pistol to his head.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," James glared at him. "I know what you did all those years ago," he pulled the gun back and kicked Sirius' legs out from under him. "I should kill you right now," he threatened, holding Sirius down with his knee, shaking as he pressed the gun back to his head.

"I'm so sorry Harry," the man closed his eyes as tears began to leak out.

"Harry Potter died thirteen years ago with the Dursleys, don't you read the papers? It was all over the news, their house was blown up because Potter's uncle was messing with the wrong kind of people," James held the gun against Sirius's head not allowing the older man to move. "My names is James Castle, you had best remember that for the rest of your short life," he threatened Sirius. "You told Voldemort where to find the Potters, you killed them. Now I'm going to kill you," he let out a breath and prepared to pull the trigger.

"I did not betray them," the man said quietly as he closed his eyes, tears leaking from the corners.

James stopped from pulling the trigger as he examined the haggard man whose life he held in his hands. "Explain," he ordered, letting Sirius up and stepping back, but not taking his gun off his target.

"I made them change the secret keeper, I thought it would be too obvious that it was me," he sat on the ground, resting his head on his knees.

"A bit convenient, since no one else can back that up," James frowned at him. "Why did you break out of Azkaban and come here trying to kill Ron Weasley back in his third year? It was in all the papers, it doesn't make any sense though," he watched as the older man looked up at him.

"Minister Fudge came by to harass me as usual, I talked him into leaving me his newspaper," Sirius explained. "The Weasley family was on the front page, something about winning a trip to Egypt. I did not break out of Azkaban to kill a boy, I broke out to get that rat bastard Pettigrew that framed me and betrayed James and Lilly," he almost growled as he spat Pettigrew's name.

"Animagus like you…," James mused a moment. "The rat?" he raised his eyebrow at Sirius, receiving a nod in confirmation. "Why didn't you just tell people, they could have gave you Veritaserum to confirm your story?" the boy asked him.

"I was never given a trial, and when I escaped, they gave the Aurors and Dementors orders to kill me on sight," Sirius explained. "I want that rat dead Ha…James," his body sagged in defeat. "I don't care about my life anymore, I just want that rat dead. James, Lily, …Harry," he gazed down at his hands. "They're all dead because of Pettigrew," he stared back at James.

"Give me your word, in a Wizard's Oath. You will stay here, I will return tonight once I get the rat away from Ron. If he's an Animagus, we'll turn him back and you can do what you want with him. If he's just a rat, I'll shoot you in the head," James offered him his wand to make the Oath, keeping his gun trained on him.

"I, Sirius Black, do hereby swear on my life to stay here until James Castle returns tonight with the pet of Ron Weasley," he waved the wand and a blue light surrounded him as the Oath took effect. He handed the wand back to James who pocketed it and holstered the gun.

"I'll see you tonight, one way or another," James frowned as he turned and headed back to the castle. "I'll be late for breakfast if I wait any longer. Until tonight then," he nodded at Sirius.

"James, be careful, if he realizes you are on to him, he'll try to escape," Sirius warned him.

"Don't worry, I can handle a rat, or a man pretending to be a rat, whatever the case may be," James assured him before taking off at a jog towards the castle, leaving a dog waiting in the woods.

**--**

Hermione had already begun to eat her breakfast when James found his way to the seat next to her, his hair still wet from the shower he had hurried back in Gryffindor tower. "Running a little late there?" she asked him as he started to inhale his food. "Are you even chewing it?" she asked, frowning at him, causing him to slow down the pace a bit.

"I was out exercising, guess I lost track of time," he explained. "Not used to people complaining about my table manners either," he frowned as he shoved a handful of bacon in his mouth.

"It shows…you're just as bad as Ronald, and I've been trying to teach him for years," she sighed as she neatly cut and ate her plate of fruit. "Go ahead," she sighed waving her hands that she gave up after noticing how clumsily and slow James was eating.

"Thanks," he smiled before tearing into the food with both hands again. A minute later Ron joined him and she just shook her head, looking away as the two of them seemed to be seeing who could eat more bacon. "So what classes are you taking Hermione?" he asked as he finished eating and was relaxing.

"Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Basic Healing," she listed off her classes from memory.

"Hmm, guess I'll be in Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration with you," he smiled. "I'm just taking those three, plus Herbology and Potions," he laughed as she paled.

"Snape is the Potions professor," Hermione explained as she looked up at the head table. "The professor you punched last night…" she grimaced as James started to laugh.

"Ought to be a very interesting class then," he smiled and waved to where Snape was sitting at the head table eating his own breakfast. "Maybe I'll get the chance to break his face some more," he added as Ron laughed so hard his pumpkin juice came out his nose.

"Well, I have Potions first thing today, so wish me luck," James patted Ron on the back as he up from the table.

"You're gonna need it," Ron shook his head, thinking back to his five years of Potions.

"James, try not to get in trouble on your first day," Hermione grabbed his hand before he could walk away. "Snape…well he can cause problems if you get on his bad side," she released his hand when he patted her on the shoulder.

"Hermione, I broke his nose last night, I'm fairly certain I'm already on his bad side," James chuckled as he walked off.


	5. Chapter 4: Rat Revealed

**James Castle**

**Chapter 4: Rat Revealed**

"I retract what I said earlier," James frowned as he sat down next to Hermione at lunch, stealing a sandwich from her plate. "I am most definitely on his bad side, especially after today," he chuckled, taking a bite of the sandwich, chewing it slowly. He seemed to grimace as he swallowed it down, placing the rest of it back on her plate. "Tofu? Really?" he grimaced at her as she giggled.

"I'm a vegetarian James," she laughed as he washed his mouth with a large mouthful of pumpkin juice. "It's rather healthy, you should…" she stopped as he pointed his finger at her, shaking his head in the negative.

"No," he said simply.

"But, really it is very," she was interrupted again.

"No," he said a bit more emphatically, shaking his finger at her.

"Really, what is with you boys and…" she stopped again as he held his hand over her mouth.

"No," he laughed as she glared at him while Ron took the seat on his other side.

"Oi, what's going on?" Ron questioned, surprised at what he saw.

"You ever try to sneak one of her sandwiches?" he asked Ron, removing his hand from Hermione's angry mouth. "I do not recommend it," James feigned injury when Hermione hit him in the arm.

"I could have told you that, she's been trying to get me to try that for years," he replied before attacking a piece of chicken that appeared on his plate. "She snuck some to me once, I'm a lot more careful now," he grinned as Hermione glared at him. "At least you are here to take some of her abuse now," he mock whispered.

"It is not that bad," she growled through her clenched teeth as the three of them ate their lunches. "How bad was it with Snape?" she asked James after a while.

"Oh, it was a barrel of laughs. Why is the class so damn small anyway?" he asked her.

"He only takes students that received Os on their OWLs or did well enough on their tests here in school," Hermione explained, going back to her 5th year, the last one in Potions. "He is not a very good teacher," she said curtly.

"That's an understatement," Ron grumbled.

"Anyway after five years of putting up with his teaching, those of us that got Os in Potions, well most of us decline to continue classes with him," she sighed.

"So I get stuck with a class full of Slytherins and a pair of Ravenclaws, wonderful," he muttered to himself. "The greasy bastard spent the first half of the class quizzing me and trying to get a rise out of me," he laughed. "He opened up the book for this year and started quizzing me on everything in there. Lucky for me," he tapped his head. "I read the whole book ahead of time. He threatened to give me detention for cheating somehow, but I threatened to go straight to Dumbledore if he did," James laughed.

"Did you cheat?" Hermione asked him.

"No Miss Head Girl Granger, I did not," James mock saluted her. "Seriously though, I didn't cheat Hermione," he reassured her. "He started asking me all sorts of obscure questions from random pages and all, I shut him up pretty quick when I informed him of my photographic memory," James laughed. "He went back to the front of the room and put the instructions on the board and spent the rest of the time ignoring the students," James laughed. "He ripped into me again at the end of class though, after Malfoy's cauldron started to melt and lit part of the room on fire, accusing me of tampering with it," he laughed.

"Did you?" she groaned, bracing herself for the loss of house points.

"Not that he can prove," James said quietly. "He's not too happy with me, and will be gunning for me all year I bet, but I didn't lose us any house points Hermione," James said seriously. "I'm not about to let that ass get the better of me," he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "So, what do we have next?" he grinned at her and Ron.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Moody, the DADA classes are a bit cluttered, what with how things are now, so we are with Luna and the rest of the 6th year Ravenclaws," Hermione explained.

"The war has things a bit messed up, so we all have extra DADA classes throughout the week, they sent Moody because he's the best, sent so many Death Eaters to Azkaban that they lost count," Ron said eagerly.

"It's not a war," James shook his head as he followed his fellow Gryffindors to his next class.

**

* * *

  
**

To say they were shocked at the appearance and demeanor of the new DADA professor would be the understatement of the century. Moody hobbled with his peg leg, grizzled face, and magic eye scanning the entire room, resting a bit longer on James. "My name is Professor Moody; you will call me sir or Moody. I am a retired senior Auror for the Ministry of Magic and despite what you think, I did not teach you three years ago," he said angrily as he hobbled to the teacher's desk and leaned against it. "I was imprisoned by the Death Eater that created the portkey used to kidnap Cedric Diggory and resurrect Voldemort," he glared at the class as all but James made a noise or some sort of a grimace.

"Stop acting like a bunch of bloody cowards! It's just a name!" Moody slammed his fist on the closest table causing the girl there to scramble away. "He is a wizard, just like you or me, this whole Voldemort persona of his is a way to make him seem like something special!" he shouted at the class, pulling out his wand and directing it at the blackboard as he looked over some parchments on his desk.

"The most wanted man in Great Britain, wizarding or otherwise," he waved his wand and a face showed up on the blackboard. "Tom Marvelo Riddle Jr., aka Lord Voldemort, aka The Heir of Slytherin," Moody glanced up, making sure the picture was correct. "He has not shown himself publicly since he and his followers stormed Azkaban two years ago and freed many of his old followers. This is what he looks like from what the Aurors that survived saw that night," he watched as most of the students looked at the picture; a few could not bear to look and were shaking.

Hermione glared at the picture, burning it into here memory, her breathing growing heavy. "Easy now," James patted her on the arm from his spot between her and Ron. "Slow and steady breaths, calm down," he said softly. "There you go, come on," he encouraged her as she settled and looked at him.

"Thanks," she whispered softly still thinking about her parents. "I never had a face to go with the anger until now," she closed her eyes shaking.

"Shh, it's okay," James wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close. He looked about the classroom seeing the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors and sixth year Ravenclaws in states similar to Hermione. He looked over to his other side room, seeing Ron trying to be brave and look at the picture, but having to look away. James's eyes stopped when he recognized the blonde girl from the train, Luna Lovegood. She was looking back at him, smiling with a dreamy look on her face.

Moody scanned the students as he watched their reactions to the image of the wizard they had all been raised to fear like the devil himself. He brushed off the strange look Lovegood gave him, attributing it to her odd nature. He watched as she shifted her gaze to look at another student. He frowned for a moment as he took in the boy with messy black hair and green eyes comforting the Head Girl Granger. 'Castle, he's the one that taught Snape and Malfoy a lesson' he thought to himself as he noticed the boy not being affected by the picture.

He waved his wand, erasing the picture, seeing all he needed to see from the class. "That was a bloody picture, not even the real thing and the lot of you reacted like a bunch of kids!" he growled at them. "He's nothing but a terrorist, flesh and blood like you or me. Without all his Death Eaters, he's just one man," he glared at the class as they recovered.

"You all have been given the worst excuse for a Defense education I have ever seen. The Ministry may have lowered their standards on OWL and NEWT grading, so you may pass with flying colors, but in a real situation against a dark wizard or creature, all but one or two of you would be dead," he stomped his peg leg violently. "You have been taught by someone possessed by Voldemort, a fraud, a Death Eater under polyjuice, and 2 morons from the Ministry that couldn't take out a Boggart if their lives depended on it," some of the students started laughing as they thought of their last two teachers, Umbridge and Ron's brother Percy. "Think this is funny!? Think this is a joke?!" Moody yelled, silencing them.

"There is a war going and the sooner you realize it, the better chance that you might make it to reach twenty!" he glared at the students that had laughed. "First question, what do you do if you come up behind a dark wizard threatening someone?" he directed it at the class. "Raise your hands and state you name when I call on you," he ordered as he hobbled back behind his desk and took a seat.

He watched as several hands went up, pointing to the girl beside Castle waving her arm urgently. "Hermione Granger," she responded when he pointed at her. "You stun them and call for the Aurors, sir," she answered his question, causing all the other hands to go down.

"Wrong," he stared back at her. "Anyone else?" he asked the surprised students.

The students froze; it was the first time anyone could remember the Gryffindor girl being wrong. "Incarcerous?" a Ravenclaw asked.

"Wrong," Moody replied.

"Run and go get an Auror?" Neville asked nervously.

"And let them have their victim, brilliant, but wrong," Moody replied sarcastically. "Anyone with an answer that is worth hearing?" he glared angrily at the class as James raised his hand. "Well, what do you have for us?" he grumbled at the boy.

"Does he have the Dark Mark, or can't I see his arm?" James asked Moody.

Moody paused as he looked at the boy. "Let's say you can't see his arm," Moody replied.

"I'm assuming his victim is in imminent danger then?" James asked Moody, receiving a nod. "Reducto to his right shoulder," James stared back at Moody. "Target should go down and be out of the fight, leaving me to grab the victim and watch for other targets," he droned on automatically. Hermione stiffened as she turned to look at him as he spoke.

"James…" she said softly.

"That would take down the dark wizard and give you time to help the victim, five points to Gryffindor," Moody nodded at the boy. "Castle is not a wizard name, you're a muggleborn?" Moody asked him.

"Yeah, raised by my Uncles Frank and Max," James responded.

Moody nodded, then thought to himself for a moment. "What is your answer if you could see the wizard had the Dark Mark?" Moody questioned him intently.

"Reducto, to the back of the head," he said calmly as Moody nodded. "The only good Death Eater is a dead one," he added before the class continued, going over basic offensive and defensive spells the rest of the time, the students besides Hermione and Luna avoiding James.

"Stay after class please Mr. Castle…and Miss Granger," Moody said as the period ended and the other students filed out. "Please, sit a moment," he gestured at the table closest to his desk. "I'll get right to the point, I want you both to listen to what I have to say very carefully," he said with a much calmer voice than when he was teaching. "Be very careful with who sees your toys, I personally do not care one way or the other, but the rest of the staff and the Ministry would have you Head Girl badge if they knew," he smiled at Hermione.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked as she nervously shifted in her seat.

"His eye is charmed to see hidden weapons," James grabbed Hermione's hand. "And it's not illegal to bring guns here, the Ministry is a bit antiquated in their laws," he added, looking up at Moody.

"True, but if some of the Purebloods figure out what those hand cannons of yours can do, they'll have that law changed before the sun sets," Moody replied. "She know how to use that thing?" he asked James.

"I'm taking her out to practice later in the week," James glanced at the door to the classroom, making sure they were still alone. "Are you going to tell the Headmaster?" he asked Moody, shifting his hand slowly towards his wand.

"If I wanted to, I would have told him at the Sorting Feast," he scoffed.

"You were not at the Feast," James replied quickly.

"Invisibility cloak, Dumbledore had me working security," Moody laughed as James swore under his breath. "There's very few things that can see through an invisibility cloak boy, don't be too hard on yourself," he got up and walked them to the door. "One more piece of advice James, we are at war, don't go be doing something stupid," he stopped James at the door.

"It's not a war, they're nothing but terrorists," James glared back before leaving with a panicking Hermione.

**

* * *

  
**

Later that night following dinner and doing their homework together, Hermione was resting against James on the couch again. "We'll need to get you in a proper bed tonight," she glanced up at him as he shifted his neck uncomfortably. "You should have woke me up last night," she frowned, getting up from the couch and pushing him to the middle as she slipped in behind him. "Wow, why haven't you been to the hospital wing yet?" she frowned as she started massaging the sore muscles, finding them in knots.

"It wasn't that bad," he grimaced as she went to work with her hands, getting deep into his muscles.

"Oh really?" she scolded him as she felt him cringe. "When are you going to teach me to use it?" she asked him quietly. She had been thinking about the gun all day, calling herself foolish for bringing it here without knowing how or if it even worked.

"We'll have to wait until Sunday, Ron is having Quiddich tryouts Saturday," he grumbled. "I never should have agreed to try out, my time could be spent better on other things," he shook his head.

"Then don't, it's not like you have to go," she stopped massaging his neck and curled up in the corner of the couch.

"A man's only as good as his word, I never lie Hermione," he admitted to her. "I may leave out information or ignore a question, but I never lie," he rolled his neck, noticing the lack of pain. "Thanks for the massage, we had best get to our rooms," he yawned, helping her from the couch.

"You never lie?" she asked him as he walked her to the girls' stairway.

"Something Frank taught me when I was younger, don't go telling anyone," he smiled at her.

"I promise," she grinned, giving him an awkward hug before heading up to her room.

**

* * *

  
**

He lay on his back in his bed much later that night. Midnight had come and gone, it was nearing two when he pulled back the sheets from his bed and slipped on his clothes silently. He had stunned Ron's pet rat earlier when Ron was preparing for bed and the other roommates were still in the common room playing games. He quickly shrunk the rat and placed it in an unbreakable bottle, pocketing it and leaving the cage's door slightly open. Ron never even noticed the rat was gone and was snoring loudly within a minute of returning from the bathroom.

'Need to use less sleeping potion next time, or he won't make it to the bed,' James thought to himself as he slipped silently through the halls, avoiding Filch and his cat. He avoided the front gate, heading to a window he had rigged to stay unlocked and unwarded earlier in the day. Slipping to the ground he stuck to the shadows and made his way to the forest where he met Black less than twenty four hours ago.

He glanced around, waiting impatiently for a minute, looking for the dog. "Come out Black, let's get this over with," he glared into the forest's shadows. A moment later he heard a rustling and the dog appeared and shifted back to the wizard's form. "Don't move you traitorous bastard," James swore, quickly pulling one of his pistols free.

"What…?" Sirius froze, confused until he noticed James looking at the wand in his hand. "Oh, this?" he bent and placed it on the ground. "I had to go and nick it from and old lady in Hogsmeade, I'll need it to turn the rat back to human form," he explained, raising his hands.

"Try pulling anything like that again and you'll end up dead," James frowned, lowering and putting away his pistol as Sirius retrieved the wand.

"Don't like being surprised, do you?" Sirius asked as he examined the boy who was fishing something from a pocket.

"It doesn't happen very often," James replied.

Sirius examined the boy as he pulled a bottle from his pocket. "I called in a favor today, one of the last ones I had," Sirius commented as the boy glanced at him. "I… I looked into the explosion and fire that killed Harry Potter," Sirius slowed. "You look so much like him, I…I had to be sure, so I went and checked the police report, saw pictures of all the bodies. He was my godson you know, I should have been there to protect him from those muggles," Sirius shook his head. "He'd have been your age, but he had a nasty scar from where Voldemort tried to kill him as a baby," Sirius looked at James' clear forehead in the moonlight. "Can't hurt to hope, can it?" he chuckled a bit.

"As interesting as it is to be mistaken for someone that died over a decade ago, we have the matter of this rat to deal with," James pulled he stunned rat from the bottle. "What do you need me to do?" he asked as Sirius glared at the rat with a familiarity.

"If he tries to escape, stop him, I'll do the rest," Sirius spat as he whipped the wand and began to mutter under his breath reversing the transformation forcibly. After a few moments a balding fat man in torn up clothes took shape and began to stir from the stunning. "Hello Peter," the man froze in terror in recognition.

"Sirius…what has happened…" the man stammered before he caught sight of James. "James? Is that you?" Pettigrew's confused mind was unable to process the situation after 16 years as a rat.

"James is dead Peter, so is Lily. So is Harry. You framed me and took my life away," Sirius growled at the fat man who began to realize the gravity of the situation he was in.

"Please, you must save me!" he crawled towards James groveling.

"You plan on clearing your name now?" James asked Sirius, noting the dead look in his eyes.

Sirius's brow furrowed for a moment before he smiled. "Yes, I think I will, but that can be done just as well with his body," Sirius grinned murderously at his former friend.

"Make sure to keep me out of it," James nodded before squeezing off two rapid shots from his silenced pistols. Pettigrew had started to crawl away, but now was rolling in pain from the shots to his knees. "He won't be running away this time, make sure he gets what he deserves," James nodded, putting away his pistols. "If you can't clear yourself, contact this man," he handed Sirius a small business card. "Say I sent you, he'll be able to find you a safe house and a new identity," James explained.

"Interesting for a student to have such contacts, Mr. Castle," Sirius pocketed the card as he watched the boy walk away.

"You have no idea, don't have too much fun now, you need to be gone by daybreak," James waved without looking back.

"Now Peter…" Sirius almost shook with the emotions he was feeling, finally being alone with the traitor. "Let's have us a little talk, for old time's sake," Sirius grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him deeper into the forest, ignoring the man's screams.


	6. Chapter 5: Bullets and Boyfriends

**James Castle**

**Chapter 5: Bullets and Boyfriends**

The rest of the week went quickly for the school as the students all settled into their schedules. James hung around with Hermione and Ron whenever he could, not really talking to many of the other students. Hermione helped him in all his classes as best she could, finding that he was already as proficient as her in all of their shared subjects. The students had started to whisper about how he acted in DADA on Monday, but after a few detentions from Hermione, they stopped.

Hermione had started to sleep better, taking James' advice and getting a mild sleeping potion from Nurse Pomfrey. Her hand absentmindedly patted her gun several times during the week, anticipating Sunday, until James caught her doing it and gave her a disapproving look. Ron had been after James all week, quizzing him on Quiddich rules and try to get an idea how well he played. James had brushed him off for the first few days, but gave in on Friday, admitting he knew all the rules and watched a few professional matches, but had never competitively flown.

Saturday finally came and Hermione walked with James to the Quiddich pitch after breakfast and doing some homework together in the library. "James, don't go getting yourself hurt for this stupid sport," Hermione begged him as he went to the broom shed and looked over the school brooms.

"It's okay Hermione, I can take care of myself," he patted her on the head like a little kid. "Besides, I'm not getting on one of those things," he waved back at the broom shed. "Just wanted to see what they had here before I got mine ready," he smiled at her slightly angry face as she straightened her glasses. He reached into a pocket and pulled out what Hermione figured was a shrunken broom.

"Looks a bit different than the school brooms," Hermione noted as she inspected it while James slowly enlarged it. She looked over the length of broom's shaft, trying to think of a tree that would give that particular shade of red. James handed her the broom, letting her give it a more thorough examination as he stretched and unhooked his gun holsters under his robes.

"Bag please," he said after he had unhooked the pair of weapons. Hermione pulled her open schoolbag out as James moved to take the broom back from her, sliding the guns in her bag. "No peeking remember, I'll let you see them tomorrow," he smiled at her.

"I won't peek," she grumbled. "I give up, what kind of a broom is that, and why did you take them off?" she shook the bag a little.

"I took them off, because Quiddich Pitches are charmed to prevent bringing anything besides clothes, a broom, or a wand on them," he explained. "And this is a little gift Frank and Max got me from their contacts in the American Ministry a few years back. It's a prototype they made trying to mix invisibility and other stealth technologies, needless to say, it didn't work. It was a top notch broom before they started work on it, they made it from scratch from some old redwood trees in California and had it rated equal to the Firebolts that are out now," he explained.

"James, just don't get hurt, please," she pleaded with him as Ron called all the Gryffindors that were trying out over to him.

"Don't worry about me Hermione, I'm tougher than I look," he gave her hand a quick squeeze before jogging over to Ron.

Hermione frowned as she sat down in the stands and watched the tryouts. Ron started by having all the people trying out fly a few laps around the pitch. He kindly intercepted a few and sent them away before the laps were over after seeing their flying skills. Ron then took and separated the new players from the returning ones. They had both of their Beaters, the Creevey brothers, back from last year. Ron and his sister were the returning Keeper and Seeker respectively. The Chasers were the real problem for Ron to fill. They had lost the Quiddich cup last year to Slytherin due to their Chasers inability to score goals.

Hermione saw Dean Thomas glaring at Ron, but Ginny pulled him aside and gave him what for. Dean was the only returning Chaser, and Ron had opened up competition for all three spots because of the poor showings last year. After Ginny calmed Dean down, Ron took his spot at the end of the field and the rest of the team fed the Chasers Quaffles as they tried to score goals on Ron one on one.

Dean got his shot in on his first shot, giving Ron the finger afterwards. Several others came close, but no one else could sink a shot until James came up. He rose into the air quickly on his broom and caught the Quaffle from Ginny. He turned his broom straight towards Ron faster than Hermione had seen anyone fly that day. Ron shouted something at him, panicking before James pulled up and lightly tossed the Quaffle in behind Ron.

Hermione stifled a giggle as Ron realized what happened, yelling something at James. James yelled something back, but Ron pointed him back to the line and had Ginny give him another Quaffle. This time instead of bull rushing Ron, he ducked and wove from side to side before tossing the Quaffle behind his back and spinning the back of his broomstick to drill it into the hoop at Ron's right before he could react. Hermione watched the reactions of the others on the team already, groaning as she realized James was as good as in.

They continued some more shooting and passing drills eventually getting into groups of three and taking runs at Ron while the Creeveys took shots at them with the Bludgers. James was paired with Dean Thomas and a fourth year she scolded herself for not knowing the name of. They scored easily, despite the Creeveys hitting more than the regulation amount of Bludgers at them. James glared at the boys who just shrugged and pointed at Ginny, who in turn pointed at Ron.

After another half hour, the try outs were over. James had easily won the position of lead Chaser, Dean Thomas had retained his position of left winger, and the kid that had initially been placed with them in the team drills had taken the third spot and was grinning from ear to ear. Hermione smiled as she saw James give the kid a few tips and Dean agree with him.

He laughed at a joke from Ron and made his way over to Hermione shrinking and putting his broom away in his pocket. "Well, what did you think?" he smirked as she started hitting him in the arms and chest repeatedly.

"What were you thinking, flying at Ron like that!" she yelled at him. "Of all the stupid, childish things to do," she stopped when he grabbed her wrists. "Let go of me," she glared at him.

"Are you going to keep hitting me?" he chuckled.

"Probably…you could have been hurt out there," she frowned, looking away as he released her.

"But I wasn't," he pointed out as he retrieved his guns and strapped them back on under his robes. "I know what I'm doing Hermione, you need to believe in me," he added as she grabbed him around the waist, squeezing him.

"I do, but I've seen Ron and the others get hurt so much playing that stupid game over the years," she shuddered as he uncomfortably hugged her back.

"Don't worry about that Hermione, if anything, I'll be the one doing the hurting this year," he laughed as he pulled away from her.

"James Castle, come back here right now!" she shouted, chasing after him.

**

* * *

  
**

Sunday morning came too quickly for Hermione. She shut her alarm off, cursing herself for forgetting to turn it off on the weekend. She groaned as she got up, realizing today was the day James was taking her shooting and started to get ready. She showered quickly and put on a pair of khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt under her robes. She snuck the holster and pistol under her robes, still not used to the foreign weight on her leg as she tightened its buckles. She tied up the pair of hiking boots that James conjured for her the night before, explaining they needed to walk for a while to get away from the castle before practicing.

At breakfast she looked around for James, but he never showed up. "Ron, do you know where James is?" she asked her friend.

He stopped eating a minute to answer her. "He always goes to bed after us and is up before us, your guess is as good as mine," he shrugged before going back to attacking his food.

Hermione frowned, going back to her fruit, finally pushing the plate away and leaving the great hall. "You ready yet?" she whirled as James waved at her from main entrance to the school. "What did I do now?" he asked as she stomped over to him.

"I was looking for you at breakfast," she glared as she poked him in the chest.

"Ah…well, I was off getting supplies for the day, sorry about that," he shrugged and turned so she could see the beat up canvas pack on his back, bulging from it's unknown contents.

"What do you have in there?" she asked, reaching to open it up before he turned it away from you.

"Lunch, among other things, the house elves went a little overboard," he rolled his eyes. "Ready to go?" he asked and opened the door for her.

"Lead the way," she sighed, unable to stay mad at him. She followed him as he moved quickly towards the lake. He wasn't running, but he was walking so fast she had to jog to catch up every now and then. "Slow down," she called out to him when he stopped at the edge of the lake near the Forbidden Forest. "You're going too fast," she breathed heavily and rested her hands on her knees, bent over, sweating under the heavy school robes.

"Sorry, but its best we get out of sight so no one knows where we're going," he explained and pointed into the woods. "We can lose the robes now, but keep your wand and gun ready," he told her as he dropped the pack off his shoulders too the ground.

"In there…you want to take me into the Forbidden Forest? Are you out of your mind?" her jaw dropped at him. "I'm the Head Girl, if we get caught, I will be in so much trouble," she complained as he pulled his school robes off. She quit yelling at him for a minute as she took in the well worn combat boots and camouflage army style pants. She looked around to make sure no one could see them as his two shoulder holstered pistols were clearly visible now, not to mention the lean but clearly muscled arms and chest she had been feeling in their hugs. His short sleeved t-shirt was dark green to blend in with the forest, she realized as he pulled out one pistol and looked it over. "You're really expecting me to go in there?" she asked quietly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to Hermione, but even though the wards don't detect the guns, they will detect us firing them," he explained to her. "I talked to Moody about it, he wasn't sure, but figured we need to get a few miles between us and the castle to be on the safe side," he reholstered the gun and pulled the other to examine it. "Everything will be fine, trust me," he smiled at her.

"If you get me expelled, I am going to kill you," she glared at him as she pulled off her robe. "This is the most irresponsible thing I've ever… What?" she looked down looking to see if she had something on her. James recovered quickly and looked away towards the woods uncomfortably. Hermione giggled when she realized he was checking her out, just like she had done to him. "Here, you're carrying it," she handed him her robe and walked past him to the edge of the woods. "Lead on then, and no going as fast as when we were leaving the castle, I'd like to keep up with you," she pushed him into the woods after he had packed the robes and reshouldered the pack.

After half an hour of going through the woods at the pace James was setting, Hermione had had enough. "That's it," she stopped, crossing her arms, catching her breath. "Stop right now James Castle," she ordered as the boy turned around, looking at her. She leaned on a tree to catch her breath; she was dripping in sweat and thirsty.

"What's the matter?" he asked, coming back to her. "Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"No, but you are going to be unless we slow down," she glared at him; he was barely breathing hard and not sweating at all. "Do you have any water?" she asked as she quickly broke into the pack, feeling around until he produced a water bottle for her. "Ahh," she sighed after drinking half of it. "Now, you can lead and all, but we are going at my pace," she frowned at him, taking his hand in hers. "Well? Let's go," she smiled at his obvious nervousness.

After going at a much more manageable and enjoyable pace, she thought she saw something moving in the shadows off to her left. "James, I think something is out there," she whispered. Even in the early morning sun, the forest was a very shadowy and imposing place.

"Don't worry about it," he pulled her along so they kept walking. "I've been exercising every morning down by the lake and inside the forest itself," he explained.

"That's dangerous James, something could have gotten to you," she scolded him.

"Let's say one of the local nasties tried that already, they know not to do it again," he chuckled a bit.

"What did you do? What happened?" she started panicking.

"Take it easy Hermione," he stopped walking calming her, putting his other hand on her shoulder. "There is an Arcomantula colony about two miles in that direction," he jerked his head to the left. "One of the larger ones caught a trace of me back on Thursday, tried to bite my head off," he said calmly. "After I took care of it and a few of its friends, they all started hiding from me," he squeezed her shoulder. "You don't have to worry, the most dangerous thing in this forest is right in front of you," he assured her.

"You sure? I swore I saw something following us," she nervously shifted, looking around for something.

"We'll be fine, it's just a centaur, he's been watching me since Tuesday, hasn't decided to openly talk to me yet though," James assured her and led her forward again.

"Just a centaur he says," she muttered to herself, keeping an eye on the shadows.

"Try not to think about it," James suggested. "Keep talking to me, don't worry about things hearing us, they've smelled us by now anyway," he squeezed her hand. "So, tell me, what all do you think you know about Uncle Frank," he laughed a bit as she tensed up. "It's okay, I've heard all of it before, and I know the truth," he smirked.

"Well, the stuff I read about him was all in a Time magazine that my grandfather had laying around, that and a few police reports that he got his hands on some copies of somehow…" she frowned at her grandfather's obsession with law enforcement. "It said he was born back during World War 2 and spent some time in Vietnam after being trained by the Marines," she recited what she remembered from the article. "After that it said he came home and his family was killed by mobsters and he lost his mind, becoming a vigilante," she frowned, trying to think of more of the file her grandfather had. "There's more to it, but I only gave the file a once-over," she frowned, trying to remember.

"Close enough," James laughed. "Frank was born back on July 31st in 1941, he went into the Marines at 16, bending some rules to do so," James smiled. "He had the best training they could give him, sniper, combat, assassination, all of it. He went off to Vietnam for four years and came back no worse for wear…more or less," James continued as he helped Hermione over a log. "When he came back, he got married to his old sweetheart from before he shipped out, her name was Maria," James sighed before continuing.

"They had a son, Frank Junior, less than a year later," James added as he glanced to where he clearly saw the centaur trailing him a bit closer, obviously listening in. "The article nailed the next part, the three of them were in Central Park in New York City, and witnessed some mobsters executing an informant. The bastards opened fire, killing Maria and Junior," James stopped as his voice hitched.

"It's okay James, you don't have to…" she stopped as he pulled her along again.

"He identified all the shooters; he survived the 17 bullets that hit him. The police could never arrest or find them though; they were in too deep with the local mafia boss and very corrupt. The news groups and police all say he went crazy, I happen to think he started to see things clearer. He donned the shirt with the skull on it that was on the Times article, if it's the one I am thinking of, and took care of the people that killed his family," James said coldly.

"The article said he kept killing afterwards though, that the police have linked him to hundreds of deaths since then," Hermione added softly.

"Their estimates are a bit low," James looked around for a bit, searching for something. "Ah, this way, almost there," he guided her along. "When the laws of the people are inadequate, punishment must still be delivered," James recited. "Frank has killed over 1200 criminals in the last 20 years, they've only linked him to the high profile ones," he looked over at Hermione's shocked face. "He's not crazy, like the papers all say," James stared at her eyes. "He just sees a need to protect those who can't help themselves," James noticed her eyes meet his. She didn't look away after a minute, so James turned and led her to a clearing in the forest. "I found this place Friday, figured it would be a good place to teach you to shoot," he explained as he waved his wand and set up some targets across the clearing at the tree line.

"Is he a good father?" Hermione asked as James pulled the pack off and set it down.

"He's a good friend, he's not my father," James closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "My mother and father were killed by Voldemort's Death Eaters," he reminded her. "He's not my father, but he's a good man," James relaxed, smiling weakly at Hermione. "He saved me from a bad place," he sighed. "Anyway, let's take a look at your gun," he shook off the serious feeling as she pulled the gun from its holster.

She noticed him checking out her legs, wishing she had brought something besides the mid thigh length khakis. The debate in her mind as she handed it over to him was if she wished she had shorter ones or longer ones. She noticed his eyes grow wide and him suppress a laugh as he looked over the gun. "What's so funny?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"This, is a fucking six shooter," he laughed before tossing it off into the woods. "Where did you find it, a museum?" he laughed a bit more before seeing her reddening face. "I mean…I'm sure it works, but you might want something a little more…" he stopped as she glared at him. "Ah to hell with it, it's an old piece of junk with six bullets," he frowned, kicking at the ground.

"I had to work hard to find an antique shop to sell me that, it's hard to get a gun when you are underage," her eyes narrowed at him.

"Not if you know where to look," his smirk dropped when he saw how mad she looked.

"It cost me two hundred bloody pounds because they said it was an old war relic," she bit her lip.

"Well…I guess it was. Here, take this," he pulled one of guns out and handed it to her by the barrel. "This is a modified Glock 9mm pistol," he explained she took it from him. "A Glock will fire in damn near any circumstances and has a semi-automatic function here on the side," he showed her as he moved closer. "It's off now, so it will only fire one shot at a time," he watched her examine the gun. "Now, I want you to shoot that target," he pointed his wand across the clearing, making a red bull's-eye appear on one wooden target. "Go ahead," he gestured at her to shoot.

"But I've never," she protested.

"Shoot," he stared at her.

"But, the recoil on this," she was interrupted again.

"Shoot," he said more forcefully this time.

She glared at him for a moment before pulling the gun up and taking aim how the books had told her. She closed her eyes tight and braced for the recoil when she pulled the trigger. The loud bang never came, instead there was a sound like someone throwing a pebble in a lake, followed by the sound of something moving through tree leaves and impacting wood loudly. "Did I hit it?" she asked as she opened her eyes a bit.

"Not so much, missed a couple feet to the right," James replied as Hermione looked to him for guidance. "Stand like this, one foot in front of the other," he demonstrated, pulling his other gun out. "Grasp the gun with both hands like you did, take careful aim, breath, and squeeze," he instructed before taking a shot, hitting the target dead center. "Now try again, keep firing until you are out, you have another 19 bullets in there," he laughed to himself, muttering six-shooter. "And try to keep your eyes open this time, it helps with the aiming," he added as Hermione blushed in embarrassment.

She concentrated on what he had told her, like it was schoolwork, and by the middle of the magazine had hit the target for her first time. By her last shot, she had got within a foot or so of the center of the target. When she pulled the trigger and no bullet was fired, she looked to James who was watching her.

"Command authorization override," he said as he reached and placed his hand on the pistol in her hand. "Repeat after me Hermione, Command Authorization Set, Hermione Granger," he instructed her.

"Command Authorization Set, Hermione Granger," she repeated and gasped when the gun glowed with a light blue light. "You enchanted a pistol, are you out of your mind! It may not be against the rules to have a pistol, but enchanting muggle objects like this…" she mumbled about how many laws they were breaking for a while.

"You going to complain, or guess what all I did to it?" he snapped his fingers, bringing her back to Earth. She looked at the gun in her hands, seeing if she could find any odd markings. "No runes, the gun looks identical to a normal Glock," he stopped her as she inspected it. "Think, what did or did not happen when you used it," he urged her on.

"There was no recoil, and it was very quiet," she replied after a bit. "It has a weight charm on it too, doesn't it?" she questioned him.

"I've been working on enchanting pistols for the better part of seven years now, in theory or practice," he sat down and patted the grass next to him. She sat down next to him, her legs stretching out next to his. "Emm…well, I started trying to make them, so they could help Frank, but my tutor Max stopped me once he found out what I was doing," he scratched his head, turning his gaze from her legs. "He figured Frank was in enough trouble with the muggle authorities, no need to raise flags with the magical ones," he stopped when she shifted so she was leaning on him.

"Anyway, I figured I might as well keep fiddling with them, as a hobby at least," he chuckled. "First things I took care of were the weight, recoil, and sound issues that you saw. There's a localized silencing charm on the barrel to take care of the airflow that causes the bang, a lightweight charm over the entire gun, and a immobilization charm that is bonded with the user's magic, eliminating all recoil," he explained. "The charm was the reason I could never make it work for Frank, it needs a magical person to bond to do the spell can work and the gun will only move when the user is holding it," he explained as she cradled the gun, feeling the magic.

"There's more to it than that, I can feel it with my magic after you made me say that command authorization stuff," she raised her eyebrow at him beneath her glasses. "So give me the whole deal, no more beating around the bush," she smiled at him.

"Ah well then, he three charms we talked about, a temperature control charm on the barrel, and half a dozen or so linked to the magazine and chamber itself," he explained as he stood up and pulled her with him. "They're all linked to the wielder's magic, so no one else can grab and use these unless you let them," he told her as he took aim and fired off the rest of his bullets. "Reload," he said out loud, then fired another full clip at the targets.

"Smoke," he said again and fired, Hermione recognizing the spell it mimicked from her fourth year. "Rope," he ordered, then fired a length of rope that tied itself around the tree trunk it hit. "Stun," he ordered and fired a few shots that looked like Stupefy curses. "Grenade," he gave the last command and fired what Hermione knew to be a Reducto, destroying the target.

"Let me see your notes, this is so fascinating, how did you create the spells to work together like that, how long did it take you…" she continued going on with questions until she noticed James ignoring her. "Sorry…" she blushed, knowing her bookworm nature was getting the better of her.

"It took me six years, there are no notes, if there were people might find them and use them against me, those and the command authorization set, and say bullets to make it normal again," he ticked the answers to her questions off on his fingers.

"How draining is it on your magic?" she questioned him, looking down at the gun.

"Not too bad, you'll get used to it after a while, it will make your magic stronger, like a muscle, now get up and practice," he ordered her. He watched her use all the commands like he showed her, taking her time aiming at the targets. He got up behind her and wrapped his arms around hers, helping her hold it steady as he aimed and continued to fire.

After a while she started to tired and he let go of her, catching her as she stumbled. "That's the magical exhaustion setting in, I wanted you to see what it was like, so you don't go off and do it by accident," he smiled as she helped lay her down in the grass. "We need to get rid of those glasses, get you laser surgery on the eyes or something," he commented as she rested her head on his thigh and nodded off.

She woke up later, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "James?" she muttered as she felt around for her glasses.

"Here," she turned to his voice as he placed them on her face. "You look really peaceful when you sleep, you know?" he smiled at here as she took in the surroundings. They were on a large blanket in the clearing they had been practicing in, surrounded by all kinds of food. "I told you, the house elves overdid it," he shrugged at her surprise.

"What happened?" she asked as she started eating an apple.

"Magical exhaustion, a side effect if you use the gun too much," he explained. "I now that you know what it feels like, you can stop before it gets to be too much," he explained, digging into a piece of chicken. "I had them pack some of your tofu junk too, don't worry," he shook his head at her disgust.

After they had filled their stomachs, he handed her the gun she had been practicing with and one of his shoulder holsters. "Here, put this on so we can size it right," he blushed as he helped her with the clasps. "I didn't want to size you in your sleep and all," he rubbed his head, looking away.

"James, why are you sizing me for this, I can't take your gun," she resisted, frowning at him.

"I have another, don't worry," he replied. "Besides, I threw your toy into the woods, it's the least I can do," he shrugged as he waved his wand and the holster and straps shortened to fit her body comfortably. "Cushioning charms on the straps, I'm a man of many talents," he admitted as she inspected the fit before putting the gun away.

"Thank you," she whispered before she started to cry uncontrollably.

"Oh hell," he swore as he moved to catch her and cradled her to his chest on the ground. "Hermione, what's wrong? Please talk to me," he pleaded as she sobbed into his chest. "Please 'Mione, just say something, tell me how to fix it, tell me what I did wrong," he whispered as he cradled her head, rubbing her hair. "You're my first friend, please don't leave me too," he hugged her tight and cried as well.

"Shhh, it's okay James," she soothed him after they both had a good cry. Somehow, she was now cradling him, to his discomfort at being held to her chest. "I'm not going anywhere James, this is just a bit much to take in all at once," she smiled at him. "Thank you for the pistol," she smiled, moving a bit of hair from his face, kissing his forehead. "Hopefully I'll never have to use it," she sighed, holding him tight.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you will," he replied after a while, pulling himself from her grasp, sitting upright next to her. "Don't worry about the Death Eaters, they'll get what's coming to them," he put his arm over her shoulders.

"He's really coming then?" her eyes looked up at James. "The Punisher is coming to kill those monsters?" her eyes welled up in tears.

"Yes, yes he is," James nodded, looking down at her as she cried a bit harder.

"Is Frank coming, or is it you?" she whispered after she could not cry anymore.

James ignored the question, comforting her with soft murmurs and rubbing her shoulders for a bit before he spoke. "Frank can't really get into the country easily, I have enough of his hair to polyjuice as him for a while though," he admitted. "The Punisher is coming for them Hermione, you have my word," he gripped her hand. "I'll make them pay," he shuddered for a moment and closed his eyes, holding back the leaking tears.

She looked up at the pain in his face as he tried to control his emotions. His lips were moving, but there was no sound. She tried to read his lips for a while, but gave up and pulled herself from his hug and settled herself on his lap, facing him. His eyes shot open in surprise as she rested her forehead against his. "Bellatrix Lestrange," she whispered to him.

"What?" he choked, still confused by the situation he found himself in, with a beautiful witch on his lap.

"She tortured Neville's parents so badly they do not recognize him, she killed mine," Hermione whispered as she wrapped her arms and legs around his torso, looking into his eyes. She watched as he processed what she said, watching the expression on his face change from embarrassment to confusion to the calm face he showed most of the school. "That's weird you know, how you put the mask up," she smirked at him.

"What do you mean?" he eyed her curiously.

"You, you can be a normal kid the one second and put up the business face the next," she explained.

"I've never really been a kid, always had to act all grown up around Frank and Max," he mumbled, looking away. "I wasn't kidding Hermione, you're the first friend my age I've ever had," he admitted, looking into her eyes. Her breath caught as she looking into his face. "When I saw you on the train, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd…" he stopped as she pulled his head to hers pressing their lips together.

She smiled after she pulled away, still feeling the taste of James's tongue in her mouth. "First kiss too then?" she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah…first…wow," he stopped as she nibbled on his ear.

"James, just promise me, you'll be careful," she pulled back and rested their noses together, looking into his eyes.

"I'll need you to help cover for me some times," he stared back at her.

"Just promise me you won't get hurt," she looked back at him.

"I won't lie to you Hermione," he calmly looked back.

"Just come back to me then?" she bit her lip.

"I can manage that," he smiled, giving her a quick peck on the lips and lifting her off the ground with him as he stood up. "Easy does it," he smiled as he let her down. "We need to get going, it will be dark soon," he pointed to the west at the rapidly setting sun.

"How long was I out for?" she staggered, still weak from the exhaustion.

"About 6 hours, I was out for half a day when I first intentionally exhausted myself," he admitted as he pulled both of their robes from the pack. "Here, put it on," he handed her back her robes as he pulled his own on.

"Why are we…" she stopped as he pulled something else from the pack. "No," she glared angrily at him.

"Well, I sure don't want to walk back there in the dark," he smiled at her as he enlarged the broom. "It's either this or we walk back there, in the dark," he emphasized the last bit.

"I don't like to fly James, I'm not comfortable on a broom and…" she stopped as he put a finger to her lips.

"You trust me to go after Lestrange, trust me to keep you safe now," he smiled as he mounted the broom. "Now either you get on behind me or…" he gestured at the broom.

Hermione focused and walked over to the broom, sliding on in front of James facing him. "If you're going to give them a show bringing me back, make it a good one," she whispered as she latched onto him for dear life.

"Of course, what are boyfriends for, but to embarrass their girlfriends," he smiled as she looked into her eyes as they left the ground.

"If you let me fall, I'll hex your bits of Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaames," she threatened as they sped off into the sky.


	7. Chapter 6: Black Monday

**James Castle**

**Chapter 6: Black Monday**

James steered the broom over forbidden forest headed back towards the castle, concentrating on flying as best he could with Hermione wrapped around him for dear life. He smiled as he finally settled to the ground outside the main gate to the school, stepping off the broom, but still supporting all of Hermione as she refused to let go or open her eyes. "You really need to get over the fear of flying there Hermione, people are starting to stare," he whispered into her ear.

Her eyes shot open and she released him, glad to be on her own two feet. She blushed at James while several underclassmen who were outside hooted and cheered. "I don't like flying, I hate it," she shuddered before James gave her a quick hug.

"Well you best get over it, or I'll take you flying every chance I get," he smiled at her shocked expression.

"You wouldn't dare," she glared back at him. "Yes you would," she groaned, resting her head on his shoulder. "Fine, you can teach me, but we're taking it slow," she poked him in the chest.

"Why Hermione, I'd never dream of taking things faster than you wanted," he smiled and looked down at her. His lips brushed hers for a minute before pulling away. "See, I can do slow," he muttered softly in her ear.

"James, we're out here in the courtyard, everyone can see us," she whispered back before hearing a voice that tore her away from James into a more presentable position.

"Ahh, Miss Granger and Mr. Castle, I was just looking for you," Dumbledore spoke loudly, giving them time to pull apart a bit. "I was most intrigued, I could have sworn I saw someone on a broom flying out of the Forbidden Forest from my office, you haven't seen anything like that by chance, have you?" he took off his glasses and cleaned them on his robes.

"Can't say that we have Headmaster," James replied. "You didn't see anything flying, did you Hermione?" he poked her in the side.

"Umm, not really, didn't see anyone flying," she responded, not lying since she hadn't opened her eyes the whole flight, but not telling the truth really.

"Ah, must have had something on my glasses, do keep an eye out for me, should a student be caught in or coming out of the forest, the punishments would be harsh," his eyes twinkled at them. "Besides the fact, they should count themselves lucky to make it from the forest without injury from its inhabitants," he said sternly.

"Yes Headmaster," they replied in unison.

"Good, now that we are done with that business, I must remind you Miss Granger, that the rules regarding affection between students pertains to you as well," he smiled as she blushed and turned her face into James's robes.

"We'll keep it toned down Headmaster," James replied as she patted Hermione on the back.

"Excellent. Sad to say, not all I have to tell you is good news," his face fell as he produced a parchment. "It seems that certain parties did not take kindly to you exploiting a loophole in the school charter James," he handed James the parchment. "The Board of Governors decided in an emergency meeting to amend the rule so that students may draw wands on each other, but unless a curse is thrown, no action can be taken," Dumbledore watched as Hermione took the paper from James and read over it.

"Just means I have to make him throw a hex at me before I can break his nose again," James smirked at Dumbledore.

"Figures, Malfoy's father is the first name signed at the bottom," Hermione frowned, giving the parchment back to Dumbledore.

"Sadly yes, I was against the rule change, but the Board is made up of some very old pureblood families and Lucius holds a sway with them," Dumbledore admitted. "Well, it is getting late, and I am famished, I shall see you at dinner," he bowed slightly before turning and heading inside.

"Bloody Malfoy," Hermione swore to herself.

"Leave him to me Hermione, come on, I'm hungry too," he held her hand as he led them into the castle.

**

* * *

  
**

They took their usual seats beside Ron who eyed them curiously as the three of them all started eating. Ginny got up from her seat after whispering with another girl and snuck beside Ron, whispering something to him. James eyed the boy as he ate much slower, laughing to himself.

"Something to say Ron?" James stared at him, getting his attention.

"Sorry, I just… too many broomstick jokes, I can't pick just one," he busted out laughing along with most of the Gryffindor table. Hermione's face burned red as she concentrated on her food.

"Get it all out now," James sighed. "Any more jokes after today and you'll regret it," he rubbed his head as the jokes and one lines started firing at the two of them.

**

* * *

  
**

Monday mornings were usually not a busy time for Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Today was not a usual Monday though, the Goblins inside had been busy making floo calls and contacting various Ministry officials for the past three hours in order to make sure the noon hearing they planned could happen.

A rather rare occurrence had transpired that morning before eight, a wizard entered the building dragging a bloodied and beaten man behind him, demanding asylum from the Goblin Nation. The man claimed to have been unjustly punished for crimes he did not commit and was never tried for in order to further the political agenda of the Ministry. The wizard was Sirius Black and the goblins were very motivated to help him, if for nothing else than payment from the Black family vaults.

Cornelius Fudge and a dozen Aurors and Ministry officials irately stormed into the front of Gringotts Bank. The Goblins had demand their presence, as per their right from the last Goblin treaty. "Well, who is it that has demanded asylum from you and dragged us away from our important business?" he glared at one of the senior goblins.

"This way Minister Fudge, we are preparing to commence the trial of Sirius Black," the goblin smiled a toothy grin as Fudge and his cronies stopped in shock.

"Black is a convicted murderer, he needs to be turned over to the Aurors immediately," a large black Auror ordered after recovering.

"Auror Shacklebolt is it?" the goblin asked as it continued leading them. "While everything the Ministry says about him paints him as a convicted murderer, there are no records of him ever having a trial, he was thrown directly into Azkaban," the goblin smirked as several officials paled. "And as we keep copies of all Ministry records, we are quite sure that there is no mistake," the goblin opened a door and ushered them into a conference room.

"Hello there Minister Fudge," Sirius flippantly greeted the man from across the room. He had received a rough shave and haircut from the goblins an hour ago, but wasn't complaining. Between the robes from the family vault, the goblin 'barber', who he realized was actually a butcher, and the freezing waterfalls they considered a shower for when they actually bathed, he figured he was doing pretty well so far. He reclined in his chair, feet up on the large conference table that was in the center of the room.

"Arrest him right now!" Fudge screamed as the Aurors all drew wands and moved towards Sirius. They were each roughly stopped and shoved back towards the Minister by large security goblins. "What are you doing, as Minister of Magic, I order you to turn that murderer over to us right now!" he shouted at the goblins.

"They don't listen to you Fudge, you should learn the law better," Sirius taunted. "This is all perfectly legal, since you lot never gave me a trial, and the Goblin Nation accepted my generous payment for the use of their facilities and time in return for political asylum," he glared across the table giving the Minster the finger.

"Enough, any wizard that raises a wand will be removed from this courtroom," an older goblin at the head of the table grumbled. "I, Judge Graniteblood of the Goblin Nation, call to order this trial for wizard Sirius Black, under the convention of political asylum set forth in the goblin-wizard treaty of 1873," the goblin read from a parchment in front of him. "Our records show that the accused never received a trial for the multiple murder of muggles, the murder of Peter Pettigrew, being a Death Eater, and conspiracy to commit the murder of James and Lily Potter," he listed the offenses. "The Ministry's response?" the goblin's head turned to Fudge.

"There was such evidence and an admission at the time, that we decided a trial was not necessary," Fudge replied coldly.

"You had ample time to properly try him after the fall of the Dark Lord, keep in mind, we have all your records," the goblin stressed all. "In the aforementioned crimes, how do you, Sirius Black, plead?" Graniteblood turned to look at the wizard.

"Innocent on all counts," Sirius smiled at Fudge, ignoring the goblin.

"You have our records, this is a waste of time!" one of Fudge's advisors screamed across the table. "He was the secret keeper for the Potters, he admitted to Rubeus Haggrid that it was his fault the Potters were dead, and we had dozens of witnesses when he killed Pettigrew and the muggles!" the many glared at Sirius.

"Nice to see you again Barty," Sirius smiled before a goblin that was advising him grumbled something.

"Control your outbursts or you will both be removed," Graniteblood threatened them both. "We are well aware of the evidence against the accused and will now give him time to present his defense," the Judge gestured towards Sirius.

"My apologies Judge Graniteblood," Sirius bowed deep to the goblin. "My defense is simple and blunt, I was set up, Peter was the secret keeper not me, he faked his own death," Sirius motioned to a guard who pulled a curtain away from a free standing prisoner cell. "And wouldn't you know it, I have the traitorous bastard here to back up my story," he glared through the bars at the barely conscious Pettigrew.

"Pettigrew…impossible," Fudge stammered.

"This is the transcript we had made while the subject was under Veritaserum earlier today," Graniteblood slid a parchment to Fudge. "He was nearly dead when Black brought him to us, we did our best to patch him up," the goblin grinned. "You may have one of your Aurors examine him," he pointed at Kingsley, the tallest of the bunch.

Kingsley cautiously walked around the table, keeping one eye on Black, the other on the body in the cage. He cast several Finites and other revealing spells to ensure it was not a disguise, but Pettigrew did not stir. He looked closely, seeing the blood seeping from wounds in the man's knees, and various cuts and bruises across his body. "It's him, it looks like he's been tortured though," Kingsley shouted back to the Minister.

"I wasn't sure I was going to turn him in even, so I didn't pay much attention to his well being," Black joked at the Auror. "He's been hiding as Ron Weasley's pet rat; he's an animagus like me. I was never after that bloody redhead," he glared at Fudge. "It was all because of the paper you left me after taunting me that one day Fudge, the one with their family winning a sweepstakes, I recognized him in it," he explained.

"This…interrogation has been verified? Can we question him ourselves?" Amelia Bones asked as she read over the parchment Fudge handed her.

"I'm afraid not, we have already found him guilty, he's alive now as a courtesy to you," Graniteblood replied. "The interrogation damaged him beyond recovery, regardless," he smiled. "But I assure you, we had several wizard employees present, should you require Pensieve memories," he produced several vials and passed them towards Fudge and the others. "Unless you have any evidence unknown before now, we are prepared to declare the accused innocent and will be advising him to seek compensation from the Ministry for false imprisonment among other charges," the goblin looked to Fudge.

"We need time to prepare a case like this," the man protested.

"You have had sixteen years, the Goblin Nation rules on the side of Sirius Black and exonerates him of all crimes," the goblin shuffled the papers before him. "This ruling will carry over to your Ministry as per the treaty of 1873, thank you for your cooperation," the goblin rose from his seat, grumbling in Gobbledygook to several of the guards.

Fudge glared at Sirius as he whispered to an ugly woman Sirius recognized as Umbridge. Sirius was greeted warmly by Kingsley and his partner whose hair was flashing different colors in excitement. "Nice to see you too Nymphadora," he smiled as the woman babbled.

"Don't call me that Sirius, I don't care if you are family," she frowned, hitting him in the arm. "I can't believe all this," she glared at the back of Fudge and the others that were hurrying from the bank. "Those bastards, I'm gonna," she stopped as Kingsley held her back.

"It's okay, and now that I am free, I can give you access to the family vault," he handed her a key. "There's a lot in there, more than I could ever spend, have some fun kid," he smiled at her.

"How did you finally catch Pettigrew?" Kingsley asked curiously.

"Sorry about that, part of the agreement was I leave him out of it if I ever turned the rat in," Sirius shrugged. "He's not someone you want to cross though, I'm lucky he didn't kill me after he spotted me watching him in my animagus form," Sirius admitted.

"What are you going to do now?" Tonks asked as they exited the bank into the fresh air.

"I'd love to relax, but I can't, there's work to be done," Sirius smiled weakly as he fingered the business card in his pocket. He froze immediately, jerking his head around, sensing something. "Fudge has lost his bloody mind," he muttered as she pulled the stolen wand from his pockets.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she notice the area start to grow colder.

"The cold, what makes that cold Tonks," Kingsley replied, pulling his own wand.

"Fudge, are you out of your damn mind?!" Sirius screamed at the rapidly emptying alley. "Setting Dementors loose in the bloody Alley!" he screamed loudly as the bank's doors opened behind them.

"Inside, quickly," one of the guards that had been trailing them since the trial ordered, locking the door after a squad armed with torches left through it. "Graniteblood heard him order the woman to order the Kiss on you," the guard explained gruffly. "All three of you," he looked over the two Aurors.

"He's lost his mind, finally gone over the edge," Kingsley muttered, slumping against the wall. "Tonks, I don't know how to say this, I've been trying to keep it from you since you were new, but Death Eaters more or less run the Ministry now, whether the Minister knows it or not," he explained as Sirius looked on with no emotion.

"How…there has to be some way to check them for the Mark, doesn't there?" she frowned, fumbling with the words.

"Going about the checking of everyone's arm would be impossible, what with the laws being made by purebloods," Kingsley shook his head. "Dumbledore has a group out there, trying to do what we can, but we're losing," he admitted.

"The Order?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, The Order of the Phoenix, you were a member, weren't you? Back in the first war," Kingsley nodded.

"Yeah, back before I was hung out to dry," Sirius growled.

"He'll have you back you know, he's Dumbledore," Kingsley looked at the other man.

"That's the problem, I don't care about Dumbledore anymore, I don't care about any of them," Sirius pulled a parchment from one of his robe pockets, signing it with blood after cutting himself on the knife the guard offered him. "I'll explain it to them, go take that to Graniteblood," he ordered the guard.

The guard bowed and left the three of them alone. "What just happened?" Tonks questioned him.

"Oh that, I just legally signed over my declaration of defection from the Ministry of Magic," Sirius shrugged. "I'm legally a goblin now, so besides the ten million galleons I paid them to make it happen, the vault is all yours," he smirked as Tonks' face paled.

"What?" she stuttered.

"I'm through with the Ministry, the goblins needed a mercenary, I volunteered," he explained. "Once I take care of my personal target, I'll owe them some missions, but it's a fair trade to be free from Fudge and his idiots," he smiled.

"Speaking of which, we need to go to Dumbledore," Kingsley replied. "Our lives are in danger, they already tried to kill us once Tonks," he ordered her.

"Fine, we'll go see the old man," Tonks sighed. "Who's your target?" she asked Sirius.

"The man that killed Harry Potter and his relatives," Sirius grinned. "Once he's gone, maybe I can rest easy at night," he patted her on the arm before walked towards the back of the bank to where Graniteblood was waiting.


	8. Chapter 7: Allies

**A/N: Just got done hitting some Nyzul Isle on FFXI, and for some reason you people seem to like this story…a lot. Anyway, I'm gonna pound some Red Bull and do up this next chapter, not as action packed as you'd expect, but trust me, the fun is coming.**

**James Castle**

**Chpater 7: Allies**

"Greetings, child of Mars," a centaur spoke as he walked into the small clearing in the forest where James was working out, doing pull-ups on a tree branch.

James ignored the centaur as he finished his set before dropping to the ground. "I don't like being followed you know," James looked over the centaur for weapons as he took a drink from a water bottle. "You've been watching me, why?"  
The centaur examined the young wizard in front of him. He had been following the wizard since he had begun his routine in the mornings, getting close enough to hear the conversation with the witch several days ago. The wizard was dressed to blend in with the forest, dark green clothes all over, with an odd wand-like device attached to his side. "The forest is Centaur land, you should not be trespassing," he replied. "We are to capture and deliver you to the headmaster, should you wander into our lands," he commented to the young man.

"And why haven't you?" James replied as he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel from his pack.

"You have done no wrong in our lands," the centaur replied. "And you have proven to be more than a match for the creatures of the wood," he looked to the wizard's torso. "You had another device when you dealt with the Arcomantula last week, was it damaged?" the centaur asked.

"No, my device was needed elsewhere," James replied. "The girl I was with needed it more than I did," he frowned as he stretched out a cramp in his leg. "I ask again, why have you been following me?" James frowned at the centaur, his hand on his wand.

The centaur noted his apprehension and bowed courteously. "I mean you no harm, but a youngling such as you, wandering the forest alone, tends to draw interest," the centaur apologized. "My name is Firenze, I have been following you to assure your safety," he explained. "It appears my fears were unfounded, after how you dispatched those Arcomantulas that wandered across your path," he nodded at the boy.

"Well, Firenze," James bowed back. "My name is James Castle, and I would appreciate it if my happenings here in the forest remain between you and me," James explained as he kept eye contact with the centaur.

"We are to bring any injured wizards or witches to the headmaster immediately, as long as you remain intact, we have no quarrel," Firenze nodded.

"Why do I have the feeling that there is more to what you want to talk about, besides my trespasses into your forest?" James asked the centaur.

"You are quite astute young one," Firenze replied. "The first days of your schooling were quite revealing, what with how you handled the Grim and the rat," the centaur complimented him. "Being able to think clearly and find the truth is something we centaurs value," he continued. "More than that, the stars have been quite telling for some time now," the centaur looked at the fading starlight through the dawn's rays.

"I've never been much for Divination, seems like a load of crap to me," James grunted as he continued with his exercises.

"I would not expect a wizard, much less a human to understand the stars as we do," Firenze continued. "Mars has been shining very brightly as of late, as has Jupiter," the centaur's voice trailed off.

"Meaning?" James asked the centaur, pausing in his pushups.

"The meaning is always the hardest part to translate," Firenze replied. "Mars is typically a sign of war, destruction, and death, all of which have been running rampant for the last few years. Jupiter usually signifies control, the leader of the stars, seeing them both so powerful at once is quite odd," Firenze finished.

"What are you doing Firenze?" a deep voice spoke from behind James, opposite Firenze. James moved in a flash and had his and a pistol pointed at the newcomer. The centaur looked down at his wand and gun in disgust. "You are forbidden to speak with the wizards, you know this," the other centaur replied.

"This one is different, the forest fears him," Firenze replied. "The stars Bane, the stars point that he is going to bring order to the wizards," Firenze explained tiredly.

"The stars are open to interpretation, you are not the one to expose our ways to the wizards," Bane spat back. "This youngling is weak, without his wand he is nothing," Bane stomped his hoof.

"I am right here you know," James glared at the centaur, putting his wand and pistol away. "Look, no wand, no gun," he flashed his empty hands. "If you still think I'm weak, come get some," he glared at the centaur, his hands in front of him in a fighting stance.

**

* * *

  
**

"You okay James? Hermione asked as she poked her boyfriend in the ribs on the Gryffindor common room couch.

"Go 'way, 'm tired," he grumbled, turning his face into the cushions.

She smiled as she kept poking him. "You're going to miss breakfast if you're not careful," she finally got him moving with the mention of food. "What's got you so tired anyway?" she laughed as he stretched on the couch.

"Bad workout today, bloody horses," he mumbled under his breath. "What's that?" he asked, noting the paper in her hands.

"A little present I got to make my life here a little easier," she smiled as she slid beside him on the couch. "Ron's brothers, the twins, they graduated year before last, they left this to me," she smiled as she spread the map in front of him. "It's called the Marauder's Map, it shows everyone in Hogwarts," she explained as she pointed out their two dots very close to each other.

"Nifty little object, why'd they leave it to you? Why not Ron or Ginny?" he asked as he rested his head against hers.

"Well, they said I needed it for protection from Malfoy and the other purebloods," she shook her head.

"And the real reason?" he asked.

"Well, Ron is a bit of a child, and they figured Ginny would use it to sneak around with boys," Hermione laughed.

"That would be a very good use of the object," James smiled as he looked down into her eyes. "Not very becoming of a Head Girl, to have an object like this and not report it," he smirked down at her.

"Shut up," she frowned before they shared their morning snogging session.

"Oh, hello, am I interrupting anything," Luna asked as she strolled into the unused classroom on the second floor. She took a chair across from the two surprised people already occupying the room, basking in the afternoon sunlight.

"How did she…" Hermione mumbled to herself.

"I don't want to know," James replied quickly, locking the door and casting a silencing charm on it. "So…Luna…" James shook his head at the smiling girl. "You do it Hermione, I can't get a read on her," he gave up after studying Luna's face for a moment.

"Luna, how much about James are you 'seeing'," Hermione made air quotations as she spoke.

"I am seeing all he does not have covered right now," Luna replied lightly.

James groaned, covering his head. He should have figured on something out of the ordinary when he talked to her. "Luna, focus," he got her attention by snapping his fingers repeatedly. "How did you know I was coming to Hogwarts?" he asked her.

"Oh, I didn't really, at least until I saw you on the train," she shrugged her shoulders. "The stars said something important was coming and I had a good feeling about you," she smiled. "Bane said I was reading the stars wrong, but Mr. Hat helped to guide me," she finished.

"Bane?" Hermione raised her eyes.

"Mr. Hat?" James asked skeptically.

"Bane told me about your fight when I met with him yesterday," she scolded James. "You boys should learn to talk things out without resorting to violence," she shook her head at him.

"Fight? James!" Hermione glared at him.

"Bane is a centaur I met during my morning workouts," James explained the encounter he had with the centaur.

"You said you were tired! You didn't say you had been beaten by a bloody centaur!" Hermione shrieked at him before holding him close.

"To be fair, Bane was in as bad of a shape as James," Luna smiled. "Fighting a centaur to a draw in hand to hand combat is not something many can boast," she patter Hermione on the head.

"Not to mention the bastard cheats, he got me with his back legs in the chest," James grumbled before Hermione grabbed onto him for dear life again. "No more fighting centaurs?" he sighed looking down at her sobbing face. "Right, no more fighting centaurs," he sighed before looking to Luna again. "How do you know Bane?" he asked her.

"Oh, I'm the Lady of the Moon," Luna replied simply.

"The what?" Hermione asked after she had composed herself.

"You won't find it any book, it's a name they gave me after Bane found me in the woods in my first year," Luna replied. "I was out hunting for some Beaky-toothed Gosbits since they only come out at night," she explained as James mouthed gosbit to Hermione. "Bane found me and took me back to their encampment," she shrugged as Hermione looked back to James with a bewildered expression. "They were deciding how to send me back to the castle, until I talked with them about the stars," she smiled.

"What did you see, what did you tell them?" James asked quickly.

"We talked about how pretty the stars were," she smiled blankly.

James was about to say something before Hermione stopped him. "Who's Mr. Hat?" she asked Luna, restraining James.

"Oh, he sings to us every year, you know him," she smiled.

"The sorting hat, you are talking with the sorting hat?" Hermione's jaw dropped, shocked.

"Yes, he's very nice," she frowned at James. "He doesn't have many good things to say about your language as he was sorting you though," she shook her head at him. "I mean, you called him an overgrown strip of leather, and wished he was turned into a g-string on an overly obese woman," Luna commented lightly.

"James!" Hermione slapped him in the arm.

"The damn hat was reading my mind and…wait, stop," he groaned. "Luna, forget all this Lady of the Moon, Mr. Hat, and the other stuff," he stared at her. "What is it you can see about me?" he asked her.

"Oh, that?" she smiled as she straightened her robes, standing up. "I'm afraid I can't tell more than I have," she giggled before she kissed James and Hermione on the cheeks. "Neville is waiting for me outside, I told him I had to help you two with Charms homework," she skipped towards the door. "I'm on your side James, it's best not to try to figure out the mind of a seer, it could drive you loony," she blew a kiss at them before unlocking and going out the door.

"What the hell just happened?" James swore loudly as the door closed behind Luna.

**

* * *

  
**

"James, you have a minute?" a boy asked as James and Hermione left Transfiguration together.

James looked over the boy, recognizing him as a Hufflepuff in his year. "Sure…Justin?" he frowned as he tried to remember the boy's name, taking to heart Hermione scolding him about ignoring the other students over the last week.

"Yeah, Justin Finch-Fletchley," he nodded, pulling James aside as he shook his hand. "What do you need?" he looked to James's eyes.

"Not sure what you are after there mate, I mean Hermione and I are quite happy and…" he stopped when the boy laughed.

"No, no," Justin sighed as he glanced over at the other Hufflepuffs in his year that were keeping a perimeter. "We need to talk seriously," he sucked in a breath. "Us Puffs, we aren't the smartest, we aren't the bravest, and we aren't the most clever, but we heard the sorting hat this year," he explained.

"Luna," James glared back at him, unhappy with the impromptu barricade around him.

"Yeah, Luna pressed us a bit to look into the song," Justin explained. "I think that girl is a bit of a seer, if what everyone says is right," he continued. "Anyway, we got a record of the song from Hermione," he pointed at the Head Girl.

"Eeeep," she squeaked.

"Hermione?" James frowned as he felt the headache forming.

"Sorry, I made a copy for all the prefects, I didn't think it would be a problem," she bit her lip in anger.

"Not to be a dick, but I was at the sorting ceremony, and I know who and what the hat was singing about," James glared at then boy.

"Well…it said to ask a castle, we thought it meant Hogwarts until we saw you take down Malfoy and Snape," the boy explained. "We have some muggleborn Puffs, we got some interesting information about a Frank Castle," he finished.

Hermione gasped as James grabbed the boy by the throat and pinned him on the wall. "And what do you plan to do with that information?" James stared down the boy.

"We want to know what he needs," Justin gasped when James released him. "Cedric was one of ours," he finished, glaring back at James. "What does he need to get to the Death Eaters, to get to the Dark Lord?" Justin rubbed his throat.

"Don't worry about Frank, he'll contact you when he needs something," he frowned at the boy. "Punishment is coming, watch the papers," James said coldly before taking Hermione and leaving the Puffs alone in the corridor.

**

* * *

  
**

"What did I do now?" James complained as Hermione struck him repeatedly with a newspaper that Friday night.

"You bloody well expect me to think you had nothing to do with this?" she demanded an answer as she threw the special edition of the Daily Prophet at him.

"Oh, that," he frowned as he read the paper. "Why would I have anything to do with Sirius Black defecting and joining the Goblin Nation as a mercenary?" he looked up before she hit him again and opened to page two.

"Explain," she glared at him, sitting roughly on his lap.

"Oh, seems he was innocent, that the real bad guy was….Ron's pet rat," James shrugged, tossing the special edition away. The Ministry had suppressed the story for almost a week before it finally got to the Prophet, James smirked. "Come out and ask what you want to Hermione, I'm not going to lie," he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Did you have a hand in this?" she pushed his hand away, glaring into his green eyes.

"Yes," he replied as he leaned in and nibbled her neckline.

"How deep?" she sighed as she relaxed in his arms.

"I took the rat from Ron, I found Black, the rest was all him," he whispered in her ear.

"You need to let me in more James, let me help you," she sighed as she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"To be fair, that happened before we were an item," he apologized. "Now we can deal with the Puffs harassing me or we can get comfy here," he smiled as she stretched out on the couch, pulling her with him.

"You are in so much trouble," she smiled at him after making herself comfortable.

**A/N again! : I'll keep updating as much as I can with my work/ffXI schedule. This one was a bit slow, but trust me, James' present for Hermione in the next one will make up for it.**


	9. Chapter 8: The Present

**James Castle**

**Chapter 8: The Present**

Hermione stumbled into the Gryffindor common room Friday morning at the end of September. She initially tried to work out with James, but that lasted less than one day. She was content just to wake up and meet him in the common room after his shower. She spotted him the stairs, all alone like usual, looking into the fire. She stepped lightly; trying to sneak up on him was their game, before reaching around him from behind the back of the couch, turning his head for a long kiss. "You taste like blueberries James," she murmured when the kiss broke.

"Oh, I found those in the forest earlier," Luna's voice came from James's mouth.

"Luna?! What the hell!?" Hermione shrieked, before Luna/James covered her mouth with his/her hand. Hermione slapped the hand away quickly as Luna/James motioned for her to be quiet. "Luna? James? What's going on?" she groaned, settling into the seat next to Luna/James.

"Well, I caught James as he was coming back in from his morning fun," Luna's voice continued to freak Hermione out. "I told him today would be a good day to go to Diagon Alley to get you a present, and asked for some hair so I could polyjuice as him so he wouldn't get in trouble," she explained like it was a normal occurrence. "Of course, he had to polyjuice too, an underage wizard would have attracted attention, but luckily he had some prepared already," she shrugged.

"Why would he risk sneaking off like that just to get me something?" Hermione asked angrily.

"It's a very special present, he'll be back by dinner," Luna smiled. "Let's go to breakfast, we need to keep up appearances," Luna pulled Hermione by the hand out of the common room.

**

* * *

  
**

A day full of classes, a voice changing charm, and several more snogging sessions initiated by Luna to keep up appearances later, the two of them got out of their shared Charms class. "You didn't do anything to embarrass him too bad today did you?" Hermione asked Luna when they were relatively alone near the main door to the school.

"Of course not, I did have a wonderful conversation with Hagrid about Unicorns while you were in Arithmancy," Luna smiled dreamily, looking very odd on James's face.

"James doesn't have Care of Magical Creatures, you were supposed to stay in the library and not get into trouble," Hermione scolded her.

"Oh, but he would love the class so much, I talked to Hagrid and McGonagall and got him added to the class at NEWT level, he'll be so happy when he gets back," Luna clapped her hands as Hermione groaned.

"I should have kept a better eye on you, he's going to kill me," Hermione sighed.

"No he won't, he loves you," Luna replied quickly.

"Umm…thank you Luna, I guess," Hermione glanced at her watch. "You really think so?" she whispered quietly.

"Of course, it is plain to see," Luna nodded vigorously. "Come on, he's going to be back soon, you'll love this present," Luna smiled, giving her a peck on the cheek as they heard a scream from outside and a herd of first year Ravenclaws rushed through the main door.

**

* * *

  
**

"What do you want Bane?" James asked as he paused his stretching, annoyed at how the centaur seemed to enjoy coming to talk to him in the mornings.

"Mars and the moon passed paths last night," Bane commented as he pawed at the ground with his hooves. "I believe the Lady of the Moon is coming to see you," he nodded as they both noticed a sound in the woods towards the school.

"Wonderful," James rolled his eyes as he toweled off and took a drink as the sounds grew closer.

"Hello Bane, James," Luna smiled as she skipped into the small clearing.

"My Lady," Bane bowed, glaring at James who rolled his eyes.

"Luna, do I even want to know why you are out here?" James braced himself for whatever had to hit him with.

"Oh, I needed to talk to you," she smiled. "I think today would be a good day to go get Hermione a present, she is your girlfriend, after all," she grinned as James blushed a bit before frowning at her.

"I can order her a present from the school, why do I need to go to…" he stopped, eyeing her.

"Diagon Alley, it is a very special present, she will love it," Luna smiled as James gave in and shrugged. "Of course, you can't be seen as yourself there, I'm sure you have a good disguise and way to sneak off?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, got it covered," he stared back at Luna. "People are going to notice I am gone for the day," he mentioned.

"I prepared some polyjuice for such an occasion; I just need some hair, if you will help me Bane?" Luna smiled at the centaur who pulled a dagger and walked toward James.

"No," James pointed angrily at Bane. He reached down and took a knife from inside his robes and cut a lock of hair for Luna. He handed it to her, flipping Bane off as the dejected centaur sheathed his dagger. "You need to talk to Hermione once you get back, she'll help you pass as me for the day," James told her.

"Of course, have fun getting her present James, I'll see you before dinner," she waved before skipping off. "Oooh, blueberries!" she exclaimed and stopped to grab a couple handfuls.

"Your stars have any idea what she is setting me up for Bane?" James asked the centaur.

"The Lady is very mysterious, it is a great honor to be in the presence of a seer such as her," Bane replied. "But no, besides Venus shining bright for an hour and the moon and Mars crossing, the stars were very silent last night," Bane laughed as the wizard put on his robes.

"Wonderful," the boy complained before running off deeper into the forest, leaving the centaur alone.

After he was sure he had lost the centaur and was not being followed by anything, James stopped and caught his breath. "Damn seers," he swore before touching his wand to his robes. "I solemnly swear, I am up to no good," he said calmly as his clothes changed into a black trench coat, black boots, black pants, and a black shirt with a skull on it. He adjusted the clothes for a moment before his body began to shrink and warp until he disappeared and a bat flew out of the forest, alone.

**

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**

The bat landed in Diagon Alley later, closer to lunch time, after it had circled a few times. When James changed back in an empty alley, he took a drink of his polyjuice and changed to the look of middle aged man with slightly graying black hair, a man wanted by dozens of countries across the world, but unknown to the wizarding world.

He walked through Diagon Alley, ignored by the wizards there since the black coat looks very similar to robes. He eventually took a seat at a restaurant and ate a lunch of fish and chips, keeping his eyes out for anything strange. He paid his bill and started walking towards the shopping section of the alley, keeping an eye out for whatever Luna wanted him to buy for her. He stopped in his tracks as he heard a voice from a store to his left.

"Crucio! Filthy mudblood!" a woman's voice came through the closed door.

James acted quickly as he tried to open the door, finding it locked with magic. He jumped back across the street and crossed his fingers as he ran full speed at the shop's window. He broke through it with a loud crash, coming to a rest in a heap on the floor, cutting his hands as pushed up against the broken glass.

"Reducto!" a crazed woman with black hair screamed at him as he got to his feet. He turned instinctively, letting the spell impact his coat, dissipating the spell. "Who are you?" the woman glared at him as she took in the older man that was dressed very oddly.

"You can call me Frank," James replied as he reached into his coat and pulled out a tazer.

"Protego!" she shouted as he pointed it at her, not expecting the muggle weapon to go through the shield like it was nothing. The barbs stuck into her gut as she dropped to the ground from the electricity coursing through her, screaming the whole time until James moved in and cracked her in the back of the head.

"Thank god, thank god for the Aurors," a woman cried a she embraced Frank.

He pushed her away with the help of her husband as he took in the state of the store. "What happened?" he asked as he started to search the woman.

"We were in here shopping for some potion supplies for my wife, then she killed the owner," the man pointed behind the counter at the body. "She started to torture my wife, but I…I couldn't do anything to help her," the man stopped and held his wife tight.

"You could have done something," James replied as he stood up, fully revealing himself to the couple. The husband stared straight at his chest, recognizing the emblem. "You can always do something. I'll take care of this garbage if you can unlock the door for me," he nodded at the wife who pulled out a wand and quickly unlocked the door. "Thank you for your time," James smiled at the man as he pulled the witch out through the street by her ankle.

"Oliver, who was that man?" she asked her husband.

"Not an Auror," Oliver Wood replied as he held his wife close. "He's a Muggle, from the States, they call him the Punisher," he held his wife tight as he realized how lucky he was.

The street cleared around James as he drug the witch behind him, leaving a trail of blood from the wounds on his hands and the crack on her head. The people followed, gawking at the scene, until he came to the apparition zone, and the two Aurors there.

"Hold it right there, let's see your wand," the younger Auror pointed her wand at him.

"Don't have one," he replied, noting the change in her hair color at the remark. "Metamorphagus, right? I suggest you get out of my way, or else you might not be able to fix your looks," he threatened her.

"Why you..." she glared at him before noticing the body he was dragging. "Oh my god, Bellatrix LeStrange?" she panicked, looking from the man to her evil Aunt.

"Calm down Tonks, LeStrange is not the danger here," the larger black Auror placed a hand on her shoulder. "This man is not a wizard," he explained as he eyed James, watching for any sudden movements.

"Surprised your kind keeps an eye on the Muggle world," James replied as he glared at the Auror.

"Let's say I have an interest in you, Mr. Castle," the Auror replied. "My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, this is my partner Tonks," he nodded at the woman whose hair had turned pink. "Would it be too much to ask that you turn her over to us?" he looked down at Bellatrix.

"You can have what's left of her before sunset," James eyed the two of them cautiously. "Now get out of my way," James glared at the two of them.

"Move Tonks, now," Kingsley urged as he pulled the young woman to the side. "Expect contact from Albus Dumbledore, one way or another, he wants to talk to you," Kingsley said so only the three of them could hear.

"Good luck with that, I'm hard to track down," James frowned as he drug Bellatrix to the edge of the alley's wards and activated a portkey.

James and Bellatrix appeared in the clearing where he had talked with Luna earlier in the day. And once again, Bane was there to annoy him. "Fuck off Bane, or I'll break you nose again," he glared at the centaur as he secured Bellatrix by tying her to a tree with some ropes he conjured.

"The face is not the same, but the rest of you is evident child of Mars," Bane smiled. "Why have you brought a dark wizard into our forest?" he asked as James drank some more polyjuice to keep the transformation going.

"She won't be here for long," James glared at him. "How did you know…Luna?" he asked the centaur.

"The Lady of the Moon is very wise in matters of the stars," Bane bowed as he spoke of Luna.

"Wonderful," James frowned as he ran his hands over his head in anger. "Fine, you're helping then," he glared at the centaur before pulling his wand discreetly and waking up the witch. "Hello there Bellatrix LeStrange, let's have you, me, and my friend here a nice chat," he smiled at her before she started screaming obscenities.

**

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**

Many hours later, Bane looked to the sky after the woman had passed out again. "She has no real information, she is insane, anyone would have given you what you wanted by now," he frowned. "It is getting later, the Lady wished me to tell you that you were expected before dinner," he glared at the woman.

"And the fun with the questioning?" James asked as he wiped his knives in the grass before putting them away.

"Any chance to damage a Death Eater, is worth the time," Bane smiled. "Here, climb on my back, I will run you to the castle," Bane offered as James tightly bound Bellatrix with rope and wrapped the end around his arm.

James used his wand to lift the broken body of the woman on to the back of the centaur, climbing on after she was secured. "Let's roll, Hermione needs her present," he smiled as the centaur took off, galloping through the woods.

**

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**

"James, what is going on?" Hermione yelled at Luna as she and all the other students who were near the main door to the school ran towards the screams outside. She came to a stop as she cleared the outer wall, seeing something that would have knocked her to her backside if Luna had not caught her.

A middle aged man with graying hair and a younger woman with black hair were standing next to a tree. Well, standing would not be appropriate, the man had a rope tied around her neck and looped over the branch and was keeping her off the ground, slowly suffocating her.

"LeStrange," Hermione's voice caught as a crowd of Gryffindors and teachers joined behind her. She took in a closer look at the woman, the cause of her bad dreams for some time now. She was bleeding from numerous cuts and what she recognized as gunshots to her limbs so she could not move them. Hermione stared into the woman's eyes as her face started to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"Stop this at once!" Dumbledore shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd. "Whoever you are…" he stumbled as he looked over the skull shirt and Frank's face. "We thank you for capturing this criminal, but you cannot exact this kind of justice, we have laws!" Dumbledore exclaimed, pulling his wand on them.

James dropped the rope, letting Bellatrix fall to the ground in a wailing heap. "What would you have me do?" James asked Dumbledore, glad he used a voice changing spell. "Turn her in so she can go free again when her master breaks her out?" he glared at the headmaster.

"One cannot take the law into their own hands," Dumbledore lectured before he was stopped.

"The law is corrupt, the law is controlled by her kind," James kicked at the body. "She'd be freed by he other side within a week," he spat on the body.

"You have no right to take the law into your own hands," Dumbledore kept his wand trained on the man as Moody made his way to the front of the crowd, pulling the headmaster aside to tell him something. "Frank Castle, you cannot do this, you are interfering in a world that is not your own," Dumbledore glared at the man.

"Frank Castle went away a long time ago, you can call me the Punisher," James glared at the headmaster. "And I will not allow this woman to kill or torture anyone else," he stated as he pulled a sawed off shotgun from an enchanted pocket of the long coat. "Goodbye LeStrange," he nodded before he pulled the trigger, taking a huge chunk out of the witch's chest, before turning and running into the woods, dodging spells from Dumbledore and Moody.

Hermione was in shock from the moment she recognized what happened. James had taken the polyjuice to become his Uncle Frank and captured and killed Bellatrix LeStrange. She was shaking as Luna led her back into the castle and Dumbledore was screaming for the prefects to lead their houses back to their towers. She stumbled and was pulled into a broom closet by Luna halfway to the Gryffindor tower, Luna/James had ordered the other prefects to lead the students.

She froze as she noticed another figure in the closet with them, waiting. "James?" she cried as she hugged him, ignoring the older body and Muggle clothing.

"It's okay Hermione," he held her tight, patting her on the back. "Luna, mind hitting me with a Finite?" he asked as the blonde changed back from the potion naturally before canceling the effects on him. Back to himself, he looked into Hermione's tear streaked eyes and pulled her into a kiss. "I did good?" he whispered into her ear after they broke it off.

"Real good," she whispered back, unable to stop the crying.

**A/N: Sorry for delay. Work been kicking my as because it is end of quarter. And I just finished my Guttler in FFXI after 4 years, so I had to play with it /dance**

**Anyway stay tuned, the whole extent that Hermione figures James Harry is coming soon, as well as the secret with James/Harry's robes and a certain Maurader.**


	10. Chapter 9: Aftermath

**James Castle**

**Chapter 9: Aftermath**

James released Hermione when Luna coughed, tapping her wrist impatiently. "Finite," James waved his wand at her, reverting her to her normal blond self.

"Thank you James," she smiled and began transfiguring her clothes to fit again.

"We need to get up to the tower before they notice we are missing," James ordered as he pushed Hermione back and pressed his wand to his coat. "Mischief Managed," he smiled as his Punisher attire reverted back to school robes.

"How…?" Hermione started asking before she broke down crying again, holding tightly onto James.

"It's okay, I'm here," he held her tight and picked her up in arms. "Let's get going," he said as Luna opened the door and lead the way towards Gryffindor Tower, skipping along the way. She waited patiently at the painting of the Fat Lady while James caught up to her with Hermione still in his arms, crying and whispering into his chest. "Open the damn door, she's the Head Girl," James glared at the painting that swung open, letting the three of them into the common room.

People were shouting and panicking, but grew silent when they saw James, Hermione, and the Ravenclaw enter. "What's wrong with Hermione? Why's Luna here?" Ron asked, being the only one brave enough to talk to them.

"I'm here to give my friend support Ronnie, she's been a little overwhelmed, that is all," Luna smiled, walking over to the couch she met Hermione at in the morning, shooing a few fourth years off it. "Here, sit the both of you down James," she motioned him over.

James sat down and tried to get Hermione to let go, but she stayed in his lap, holding him in a death grip. "It's okay Hermione," he soothed her, patting her on the back. "This isn't a damn show, beat it," he glared at the rest of the room.

"You heard him, get to your rooms," Ron took charge, being the seventh year boys prefect for Gryffindor. He frowned a bit when he noticed Ginny sitting on the arm of a chair by Neville, who just sat there unmoving, looking into the fire. He almost slapped himself when he remembered what Neville told him about his parents after it was announced that Bellatrix had tortured his parents.

Eventually the common room was cleared out, besides Luna and James comforting Hermione on the couch, Ron standing near portrait that led outside, listening for anything, and Ginny rubbing Neville's back as he stared blankly into the fire. "You lot going to be okay?" Ron asked as he abandoned the door and took a seat in one of the other armchairs.

Hermione let out another loud sob, pulling back out of James's soaked robes, nodding her head at Ron. "She's dead," her voice cracked before she sniffed and planted a big kiss on James.

"I think they will be fine Ronnie," Luna patted Hermione again before stretching out across Ron in his chair.

"Don't call me Ronnie, sounds like my brothers calling me ickle Ronnikins," Ron frowned before realizing she was in his lap. "Um…what are you doing Luna?" he shifted nervously.

"Oh, getting comfortable, dinner won't be here for another half hour, we're going to need our strength, it is going to be a while before we are allowed to get to sleep tonight," she hummed to herself, curling up against Ron who was as confused as he had ever been before.

"How did you know about the food?" Ron asked as he and Luna shared a plate of chicken a House Elf had brought them a few minutes ago. The House Elves had brought food for the others as well, Neville was eating very little as Ginny urged him. Hermione was being fed fruit by James between their kisses and whispers.

"Oh, Mr. Hat told me," Luna smiled as she nibbled on the piece of chicken she took from Ron's fork.

"Mr. Hat?" Ron gawked as Hermione and James started to laugh to themselves.

"Don't ask, just go with whatever she says," Hermione smiled at her friend. "Why aren't we going to be allowed to sleep Luna?" she asked the girl.

"Oh, they'll be here in a little, we had best finish eating," she shrugged, confusing the others as they finished eating and their plates were taken away by House Elves.

The portrait opened up a few minutes later admitting Dumbledore, Fudge, and a middle aged version of Draco Malfoy, the latter two looking very furious. "Ah, just the people we were looking for, I trust the rest of the Gryffindors have been fed and sent to their rooms Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore smiled as Ron panicked at having a girl in his lap.

"Yes Headmaster," Ron nodded vigorously, trying to get Luna to move, but not being able to dislodge her.

"Very well then, Mr. Castle, the Ministry would like to have a word with you, regarding what happened tonight," Dumbledore smiled at the boy who was still comforting the Head Girl.

"I'd prefer not to leave Hermione, Headmaster Dumbledore, she's taking it pretty hard," James replied, holding Hermione close to him, smiling. "I'm of age, you can ask me whatever you want here," James shrugged, ignoring the three adults.

"These are manners of national security boy, you will be coming with us," Malfoy sneered at him.

"Leave the girl, you are coming with us to the Ministry for questioning Mr. Castle," Fudge repeated.

"I don't think so, we can do it all here," James smirked at them.

"You will come with us now, or we will make you come with us," the elder Malfoy gripped the head of his cane tightly.

"Unless you are arresting me, no I am not," James said calmly, getting Hermione to let go of him very carefully as he stood up. "I know my rights, Minister Fudge," he snorted at the Minister and Malfoy. "I'm a student, so cannot be taken from here without good reason, it would disrupt my education. And I am of age as well, so you can't go hauling me off without reason. Unless I am wrong in my understanding of the law, Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore," James glanced at the Headmaster.

"Mr. Castle, you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge of wizarding law and our school's bylaws," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "He is quite correct Minister Fudge, you and Lucius cannot force him to leave without just cause and a hearing to verify the reason," Dumbledore explained.

"I'll be happy to answer your questions here, whatever I can do to help the Ministry," James smiled as he bowed slightly to the older men before settling back onto the couch next to Hermione.

Fudge and Malfoy argued a bit with Dumbledore as James noticed Hermione had stopped crying. "Feeling better?" he asked her quietly.

"A bit, what are you playing at with them?" she asked him back.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that, trust me," he smiled and coughed to get the attention of the older wizards. "I couldn't help overhear your arguing," James twisted his head to them. "If you're that worried about me lying to you, you can give me some Veritaserum," he shrugged as the men argued with Dumbledore again.

"James, you realize you don't have to do this," Dumbledore asked after he quieted the other men.

"It's okay Headmaster, I have nothing to hide," James relaxed and hugged Hermione, kissing her forehead.

"As you wish Mr. Castle," Dumbledore nodded and went to the fireplace, noting the state Neville was in. "Are you okay Mr. Longbottom?" he asked the boy kindly.

Neville looked up with a faraway look in his eyes, surprised at being talked to. "What?" he replied before losing his focus and gazing into the fire again.

"He's getting better, I got him to eat," Ginny assured the Headmaster and patted Neville on the back.

"Very well then, take care of him," he smiled at the boy before turning to the fireplace. He pulled a handful of powder from his robes and threw it into the fire. "Severus Snape's office," he said before stepping into the fire and vanishing.

"You're going to tell us everything we want to know boy," Malfoy advanced on the students. "Filthy mudblood, using loopholes to taunt your betters," he gripped the cane tightly as James quickly released Hermione and stood, turning to face him.

"You take another step towards me, or threaten any of us again, you might be earning yourself a broken face to go with the one I gave your son," James glared at the older man.

"Lucius, calm down," Fudge ordered, stepping up beside the blonde. "We need information from the boy, calm down," Fudge jumped a bit when Dumbledore came back through the fire, followed by Severus Snape.

"What is going on here?" he bellowed at Fudge and Malfoy, noting the two of them and James about to pull wands.

"Just Malfoy wanted to insult me and try to start the questioning early," James glared at the Minster and Malfoy.

"If Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood can kindly escort Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom from the common room, we can begin this questioning," Dumbledore spoke to his students.

"They can stay, I have nothing to hide, besides, the castle has ears," James smirked. "Make yourselves at home gentlemen, and I use the term loosely," he waved his wand and conjured four chairs for the adults between him and the fireplace. Fudge and Malfoy took their seats as Dumbledore glared at them. "Before you lot drug me up, let me be clear, this is a voluntary questioning. If you get off track, Hermione or Luna will end this," he smiled as Hermione sat up surprised and Luna nodded.

"James…I," Hermione was interrupted by Luna.

"Don't worry Hermione," Luna smiled as she hopped over next to Hermione on the couch. "I'm sure everything will be fine," Luna smiled at Dumbledore.

"As Miss Lovegood is a seer, I must agree with her," Dumbledore smiled back before settling himself into his seat. "Severus, if you will administer the potion and ensure it is working?" he gestured at the Potions Professor.

Snape quickly dropped three drops of a liquid from his robes onto James' tongue without asking the boy to open up. He sat down in the remaining chair, waiting for the potion to take effect. When he recognized a small change in the boy's eyes, he spoke. "Who are you?"

"James Castle," he replied.

"Middle name?" Snape glared at the boy.

"I do not have one," James replied calmly.

"What do you think of me as a teacher?" Snape asked.

"You're a greasy haired son of a bitch who is jealous of how I will be better at Potions than you will ever be," James smirked at him.

"Severus…" Dumbledore questioned confusedly.

"He's telling the truth, as far as I can tell," Snape examined the boy's eyes with his own.

"Under Veritaserum a person is supposed to be calm and answer simply," Fudge glared at the boy.

"The potion is working, the boy appears to have a fair bit of Occulmency skill from what I can gather from not intruding too far," Snape continued staring at James.

"Best keep your head out of mine Snape, you might get hurt," James glared as Snape slumped back against the chair as if he had been hit. "If it makes you feel any better, I James Castle swear that the Veritaserum is working on me for another…five minutes, I'll let you know when it wears off," he waved his wand, sealing the wizard oath. "Time's a ticking Minister Fudge," he laughed at the man.

After composing himself for a moment, Fudge launched into his questioning. "Did you have any involvement in what happened here today?"

"Of course," James replied.

"Did you recognize the man that murdered that witch today?" Fudge continued.

"Yes, I recognized Uncle Frank as the killer," James calmly stared back to Fudge as Malfoy stiffened.

"Your Uncle is Frank Castle, who the Muggle authorities call the Punisher, a mass murderer? How did you get into the school with a name like that on your application!?" he shouted between the boy and Dumbledore.

"I was an adult when I applied, so I did not need to list any name besides my own. And yes, Frank may be a bit eccentric, but what's the harm in a few more dead criminals?" James replied back to them.

"James, surely you can't mean that, no one has the right to take the life of another," Dumbledore frowned.

"Death Eaters that escaped justice once don't deserve rights," James glared back at Dumbledore. "What about the rights of all their victims?" he glared at Dumbledore.

"Did you know beforehand what he was going to do?" Fudge continued.

"Not in time to do anything about it," James replied.

"We have witness statements from Oliver Wood and his wife, who claim he saved them from LeStrange in Diagon Alley, do you have any knowledge of this?" Fudge continued quickly.

"Never heard of Wood, no idea how the Punisher came to be in Diagon either," James shrugged.

"The boy is lying," Malfoy grunted, getting up from his seat.

"And you're a Death Eater, claiming to be under the Imperious curse during the first war," James laughed. "The potion is wearing off," James shook his head frowning. "The Punisher doesn't believe your innocence Malfoy, just some friendly advice," James chuckled before kissing Hermione. "I think this questioning is over," he yawned.

"I must agree Mr. Castle, gentlemen, if you will follow me through the floo to my office," Dumbledore agreed, rushing the three other men through the fireplace quickly. "Go to bed, all of you," he said sternly before following them into the fire.

"Goody," Luna cheered. "Come on Ronald," she clapped before forcefully dragging the boy upstairs.

**A/N: Chugging along as fast as I can write between gaming and work. Figuring as my best bet goes, this will go around 30 chapters. And if I can ever figure how the forum stuff works, I might start a vote thingy, see what Xover I do next.**


	11. Chapter 10: Fights and Flights

**James Castle**

**Chapter 10: Fights and Flights**

Hermione picked at her breakfast on Sunday following the death of Bellatrix LeStrange. She glanced over her weekend copies of the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, not really paying too much attention to them, one portrayed Frank Castle as a muggle serial killer, a homicidal maniac, and the other as the reincarnation of the god Ares. She frowned when she saw the name L. Lovegood as the author for the second article. It had taken all of her patience to get Luna and Ginny out of the boys' dorms that night so everyone could get some sleep, she had considered giving up and snuggling up with James, but her duty as Head Girl won out.

"Ready to go?" James tapped her on the shoulder, sneaking up on her in the Great Hall.

"Yes," she nodded, getting up from the table and following James outside. She told him yesterday she wanted to go out to the forest today; they needed some time to talk without people listening in. They snuck off to the woods and quickly got under the cover of trees where no one could see them. "Fly us in deeper, where you taught me to shoot," she ordered, causing him to unshrink his broom.

"We'll have to fly through the trees, I don't want Dumbledore seeing us out here," he frowned before getting on the broom. "Get on behind me and keep your eyes closed, this is going to be scary," he recommended as he felt her get on and grip him tight.

"You'll keep me safe," he felt her hold her face tight against the back of his robes and whisper to him. He sighed and took off, imagining the discomfort and fear she must be feeling as he dodged and weaved from side to side through the trees.

After ten or so minutes of flying he stopped and landed on the ground, helping Hermione off the broom. "You okay?" he whispered as he turned around, still in her death grip. "You hate flying, why'd you make me bring you here?" he rested his forehead against hers.

"We needed to talk, somewhere where no one could overhear us," Hermione sniffed and started to cry again. "I don't think we can be together James," she kept crying and held him tightly as he stiffened. "You told me what you were planning to do, but it didn't really sink in until I saw you kill Bellatrix…" she sighed and let go of him. "I…we just can't be like this," she ran her fingers through her hair, not looking at James.

"I understand, I'm a killer," James replied after a moment. "Killers don't deserve love and affection," he said quietly with an unreadable face.

"What? No!" Hermione shook her head violently before embracing him again. "You're not a killer, you're a good man. She was a monster, you stopped her," she wept into his shoulder.

"Then why?" his voice cracked as his stony face broke and finally showed emotion.

"I worried about you all day James, and I thought you were just out in Diagon," she explained. "If I knew that you were in danger…I couldn't take it," she gripped him so tight it hurt.

"Hermione, do you know why I come out here every day to train?" he asked as he broke the embrace and walked away from her.

"You train to fight," she replied, wiping at her eyes.

"Yes, and I am very good at it," he stopped, with his back to her. "I want you to attack me," he ordered, glancing over his shoulder.

"What?" she questioned him, her jaw hanging open.

"Trust me," he sighed, facing away from her. "Now attack me," he ordered more forcefully. "If you are so worried that I am going to get hurt out there, try your hand at hurting me," he stood still, facing the forest.

"No James, I won't," she sniffed, shaking her head. She watched him as he stood like a statue, ignoring her. "James, please," she begged him. He refused to move, keeping his back towards her. "Fine, you want me to hurt you, you bloody git," she broke down, screaming at him. "Have it your way, Stupefy!" she screamed as the spell at him. The jet of light shot out towards him, impacting the back of his robes. "What?" she questioned as he did not fall, but turned to face her.

"I said attack me, you have more at your disposal than a god damned Stupefy spell," he responded, dressed in his Punisher attire. "Attack me, or I swear to god Hermione, I'll never talk to you again," he ordered, pulling his wand, shooting a tickling charm that she dodged.

"James, no!" she pleaded at him.

"What are you afraid of? I'm not weak, I won't be killed like your parents!" he screamed at her. "I'm going to kill them all, they can't stop me!" he snarled at her, pulling his pistol shooting the tree beside her. "Look at you, scared out of your mind," he glared at her. "I thought you were strong," his eyes welled up with tears. "Go away, you're not the woman I thought you were," he turned away quickly, walking to the woods.

"Reducto!" she screamed as the tears fell from her eyes, sending the spell at his back. She cried out and ran to him as he crumpled to the ground as the spell hit him square in the back. "Oh James, I'm so sorry," she cried, dropping her wand, running to help him. She felt his back, looking for the blood and damage from her spell, her breath catching as she felt nothing but the smooth jacket. "James?" she whispered, rolling him over.

"Good girl," James smiled up at her from the ground as she embraced him violently, crying the whole time. "When you settle down, you can ask me whatever you want Hermione, let me show you I'm safe out there," he hugged her back until she stopped crying.

"Why aren't you hurt?" she asked as he helped her to her feet after having herself a good cry.

"It's another one of the things my tutor and I were working on that I thought Frank could use, but ended up being for me," he smiled and stepped away from her. "Mischief managed," he uttered as he pressed his wand to the Punisher getup, reverting back to his school robes. "It's a permanent transfiguration spell between 2 sets of clothes, it layers the unused set inside the other when the command words are given," he explained as her eyes grew wide. "One set is a normal pair of school robes, other is my Kevlar and dragonhide Punisher gear," he twirled as he changed back and forth a few times. "You're going to catch flies like that," he smiled, causing her to close her mouth. "Go ahead, ask away," he laughed, conjuring a blanket and sitting down, watching her pace.

"I don't know where to start," she frowned, sitting down next to him. "Those words you used for activating the clothes…," she frowned as she dug the Marauder's Map from her pockets. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," she spoke as she pressed her wand to the parchment.

James jerked in surprise as she spoke the words, she had never told him how to turn the map on and off. His eyes narrowed when he read the names of the creators on the map. "That sneaky werewolf," he shook his head in disbelief.

"Remus Lupin was your tutor?" she asked him, studying his nervous shifting.

"He asked me to call him Moony," James pointed down at the name on the map. "Said I reminded him of someone," James stared off into the forest. "He taught me for six years before he got called here by Dumbledore," James frowned.

"How resistant is it?" she asked, feeling what looked like school robes.

"Spellwise, it will stop anything but the AK, it distributes the energy across the surface after being hit, but I don't recommend taking repeated hits in a short period of time though," he commented as if he was reading from a book. "In regards to other weapons, it will stop any normal blade and a fair bit of gunfire," he smiled as she relaxed.

"You can't be hurt?" Hermione asked him, gripping his hand.

"Sure I can, they can always hit me in the head," he commented as she shuddered. "But my armor makes me have the upper hand Hermione, and I train to make sure I am good enough to win," he draped his arm across her shoulder. "Do you know what the first thing Frank taught me was?" he asked her, pulling her close. "He taught me the rules. The rules of what you do out there in combat. You save yourself first, your friends second, and then you kill the enemy," he squeezed her arm. "I don't go out there, if I don't think I'm coming back Hermione," he kissed the top of her head.

"There's no way I can stop you from doing it, is there?" she looked up at him.

"No," he said coldly. "They killed my family, your family, god knows how many others," tears dripped from his eyes as he looked down at her. "I can't stop until they're dead," he gulped, settling himself again.

"Do me a favor then," she murmured after a bit. "Don't have Luna polyjuice as you without telling me ahead of time," she sighed, closing her eyes.

"She couldn't have been that bad," James laughed.

"She signed you up for Care of Magical Creatures, and she kept snogging me to 'keep up appearances'," Hermione laughed as James started to swear.

"Damn seer," he finished grumbling as Hermione kept laughing. "Deal, I'll let you know when I go out," he looked down at her expectantly.

"Just make sure you come back," she rested against him. "I came out here to break up with you, you know," she admitted.

"Good thing I talked you out of it," James whispered before kissing her deeply on the lips.

After a few minutes of seeing who could win in a tongue wrestling match, Hermione pulled away from him. "Next question," she smirked at him, making him roll his eyes. "How did you beat the Veritaserum that Snape gave you?" she asked, poking him in the chest.

"I didn't beat it, I told him the truth," James replied to her. "Veritaserum has strange results on me Hermione, it's in part because of my mask, as you put it before," he shifted under her. "My mind…is complicated, let's just say the parts that are James, the parts that are the Punisher, and the parts that are a scared little boy," he shuddered. "We don't always know what the others are doing," he smirked.

"Multiple personalities?" she questioned him eagerly.

"More or less, any more questions?" he tickled her sides.

"Any more surprises?" she laughed at him.

"Oh…just one, try not to scream."

**

* * *

  
**

James dodged the Bludger that was coming straight at him, laughing when it impacted the Slytherin Chaser that was trying to catch him. He'd been going over the events from last weekend in his mind throughout the Quiddich match. Hermione had reacted better than expected to the extent of arsenal and armor, besides the bat animagus form, she screamed bloody murder about that.

He rammed his body roughly into the Slytherin that attempted to block him before throwing the Quaffle through the hoop, past the overmatched Slytherin Keeper for another goal. He shrugged off his thoughts about Hermione and went back to work at his systematic destruction of the Slytherin Quiddich team. The game had been one sided from the start as the extent of James' morning exercises and Quiddich knowledge became more evident than in practices.

From the opening whistle, the game plan that Malfoy had drawn up for his Slytherin team had been shot to hell. James was targeted by the opposing Beaters from the start, but after he avoided the first few shots from them before taking a vicious shot from Crabbe to the midsection, things got rough. James shrugged the Bludger off before he sped off at the Slytherin Chaser that had the Quaffle, nearly running the boy over, taking the Quaffle from him, before flipped and jetting off in the other direction, drilling it home past the Slytherin Keeper.

After that, the game got worse for the Slytherins. James was just too fast and strong, he ran wild against the opposing Chasers, stripping them of the Quaffle at will, dodging the shots from the Beaters, frequently making the Slytherin Beaters hit their own Chasers with the Bludgers. Between that and James' rough style of play, the Slytherin team wasn't able to make a game of it.

Hermione sat with Luna in the stands, watching the massacre. "How is this even legal?" she asked Neville was on her other side as James drove the Slytherin left winger into the ground, causing a time out for a reserve player to be found.

"Well, he's not hitting them, that's what would cause a foul to be called," Neville explained. "A faster and stronger Chaser can run someone, so long as they aren't acting too dirty," Neville continued as they watched James arguing as Madame Hooch gave Slytherin a penalty shot that Ron blocked. "Though I have to say, James is destroying them," Neville admitted, when after the shot was blocked, James picked it up and stormed past the entire Slytherin team, drilling it in the face of their Keeper, rather than making an actual shot.

After half an hour of this, Ginny Weasley found the snitch after a fierce race with Draco for it that ended when a pair of Bludgers his him from both sides. The ending score was 500-0 for Gryffindor, James scoring on 31 goals, dropping off assists for the others. Ron stopped all ten shots that James was too busy to steal. It went down in history as the most lopsided Quiddich match in history. A team was outscored 500-0, with all their starters and 5 reserves sent to the hospital wing, all in thirty minutes.

Once the snitch had been caught, James flew down at the Gryffindor stands, pickup Hermione up and flying her away. She struggled a bit, hitting him about the chest and midsection before she realized they were slowly drifting down toward the ground in a spiral. "Entirely within the rules of the game Hermione," he smiled before kissing her. "Besides," he whispered in her ear. "If a good snog on a broom doesn't help get you over some of that fear of flying, I'm out of ideas," he smirked as he held her safely and guided them to the ground.

**A/N: Answered some questions from readers in this, a good bit more to come in the next chapter. Time for some Halloween fun.**


	12. Chapter 11: Red Moon on Halloween

**James Castle**

**Chapter 10: Red Moon on Halloween**

James stabbed his Charms textbook violently through it's center with a quill before chucking it into the fireplace. Hermione frowned as she watched the book burning. "That's the third one this month," she glared at him as he ignored her and looked down at his notes. "You're not doing well," she said quietly, sliding up beside him on the couch in the common room.

James frowned and stared at his notepad, unable to concentrate. Since the Quiddich Match against Slytherin, his nightmares had gotten worse. The closer to Halloween, the worse it is, he thought to himself, doodling on the notepad.

"When was the last time you slept?" Hermione asked him, earning herself a glare.

"I am no in the mood to discuss this Hermione," he stared down at her.

"That's not an answer James," she replied, pushing up from her comfortable position and sitting as far away from him as she could on the couch. "Is it the dreams again?" she asked in the empty common room. He grumbled something unintelligibly and ignored her, looking at his notepad. It was several weeks after the Quiddich massacre, rapidly getting close to Halloween, and James had been in a mood for close to a week now. "Well?" she probed as she dug into his sides with her bare feet, trying to get a reaction.

"I don't like Halloween," he threw the notebook at the fire. "The nightmares are the worst at this time of the year," he let out a breath before gripping his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Hermione apologized quickly, moving next to him, comforting him. He relaxed in her arms instantly when she touched him. "Have you slept at all this week?" she asked him seriously.

"Not really," he frowned, looking away from her.

"You should have told me," she scolded him.

"I'm sorry," he replied, hugging her back after a moment. "I need to sleep tonight Hermione, I need you here to keep the bad dreams away," he begged her, clinging to her tightly.

"Stupid boys, always beating themselves up," she laughed, pushing his back down so he was lying on the couch. She waved her wand, conjuring a blanket that she pulled over her as she settled in on top of him. "I'm here for you James, now care to tell me why you've been having trouble sleeping?" she whispered in his ear.

"Halloween is a bad time for me," he murmured, kissing her neck and pulling her close. After they cuddled and kissed for a few minutes, James broke it off, looking into her eyes. "Halloween is a bad time for me, come tomorrow it will be a bad time for them," he looked deeply into her eyes as she started to cry.

"Just come back," she whispered as she held him tight and they fell asleep together.

**

* * *

  
**

He walked along the tree line outside an old English manor, looking for weaknesses. He'd been scouting this place three of the last four nights, since he was unable to sleep unless Hermione was with him. He slid past the first few wards by changing into his bat form. The house had never been attacked in the past, and it was though to be impregnable. James shook his head as he used a spell to check how many life signs were inside as he placed an explosive charge on the door. "Looks like they have some company today," watching the spell flash the number 14 for the amount of wizards present, before the door exploded and he rushed inside.

He had his pistol out as he entered, blasting a shot through the chest of the first person he saw. He dove and rolled, avoiding green spell blast from the guard at the other side of the door, before hitting him square between the eyes with another shot. "Amateurs," he frowned, noting the resemblance the two bodies had to a pair of Slytherins in his year.

He slid against the wall, edging his way towards the hallway, sticking his head out long enough to pull it back to avoid several curses aimed at him. "Grenade," he said calmly before pointing the gun down the hall, blasting chunks of it apart without looking. "Flash bangs, where are the flash bangs," he muttered before finding the correct pocket in his coat. "There we go," he smiled, throwing a handful of devices down the hallway. "Three, two, one," he counted down before closing his eyes tight and charging down the hallway that was suddenly flooded with blinding light.

He opened his eyes, blinking away the bit of damage to his sight that the grenades had caused. He walked down the hall, ignoring whatever cries came where the stunned and blinded wizards were cowering, save to end their cries with a bullet. "Seven little Indians," he hummed to himself as he left the corridor, seeing two flights of stairs. He looked up and down the old stairwell before finally taking the downward path. He paused as he heard several voiced arguing below him.

"We need to call the Dark Lord, we have no idea what is up there," a man spoke in a high pitched voice.

"Lucius is handling it, we are to protect his labs, now shut it before I curse the both of you," a deeper voice ordered.

"One little, two little, three little Indians," he hummed before pulling the pins from a string of grenades and throwing them down through the doorway. He rushed in after the screams started, emerging later. "Four little Indians," he looked up at the center of the house, climbing the stairs two at a time.

"Lucius, we need to call for help," a large Death Eater yelled at the blonde man. "I will not be killed here like a common mudblood!" he man screamed before Lucius slit his throat with a slicing charm.

"Never forget who your betters are," he frowned as the man suffocated, choking on his own blood. "Narcissa, take the entertainment away, I'll deal with this intrusion," Lucius ordered his wife as she dragged the crying muggle from the room.

The door to his ballroom blow off it's hinges a minute later, admitting the middle aged man dressed in all black. "Only three little Indians left?" the man dodged a green spell from Mafloy who was firing across the room.

"Frank Castle, I assume," Malfoy shouted back as he dodged a string of bullets. "I must admit, you have been an annoyance for the Dark Lord," Lucius screamed, firing a few spells back where he though Castle was. "You are nothing but a Muggle though, you are in over your head!" Locus laughed as he placed a Notice-Me-Not spell over himself, effectively hiding him from view.

He watched as the Muggle looked about the room, sensing something was wrong. "Damn wizards," the muggle swore before shooting a spread of bullets across the room that missed Malfoy by several feet.

"What's the matter muggle, you can't find your betters?" Malfoy laughed as he pulled his wand on the muggle.

"I can see you just fine, heat vision goggles, give my regards to the devil," the muggle replied, ducking and firing a series of shots into Malfoy as his eyes grew wide. "Idiot," James frowned as he walked over Lucius's shuddering body. "Only two little Indians left…where are you hiding," he muttered as he moved to a hidden door at the back of the room. "Grenade," he said calmly, walking away from the wall before blasting it with his pistol.

"Don't come any closer, or she dies!" he heard a woman cry out.

He entered the newly uncovered room with his hands up, examining the woman holding the teenager captive. "Holding a girl captive, how brave you Death Eaters are," he stepped toward them calmly.

"Stop right there!" Narcissa Malfoy pressed her wand at the muggle's throat. "Where is Lucius?" she demanded.

"He's dead, along with all the others," James responded, walking a step closer to her. "You're dead too, you know?" he raised an eye at her. "You know I won't let you out of here alive," he threatened, taking a step closer. "What will happen if you kill the girl, I wonder?" he examined her. "Killing another innocent, a muggle at that, it won't make a difference in the war," he shrugged, settling onto some broken masonry.

"Who are you?" she stared daggers at him.

"I'm the Punisher, I've come here to kill you," he frowned at her, gripping his pistol in his pocket. "Let the girl go," he stared at her.

"If I do, you'll kill me," she glared back at him, edging her way towards a fireplace.

"Yes, I will," he threatened her. "I'm going to kill you regardless," he pulled his gun, pointing it at her. "Next move is yours," he pointed the gun at her.

She panicked and pushed the muggle toward him, throwing a pair of curses that hit the back of his jacket and dissipated as he covered the girl. "Don't!" he yelled, pulling himself from the girl, firing a few shots into Narcissa Malfoy as she fell into the floo and disappeared in the flames. "Damn it," he swore as he tossed several packages from his coat about the room, pulling the girl with him. "We have to go, now!" he ordered as he gripped her arm painfully.

"You saved me," the girl gripped his arm before he threw her away.

"Get out of here now, or you won't even remember what I did," he glared at her, throwing more packages around. "Run you stupid girl," he commanded as he sprinted from the house.

**

* * *

  
**

James grunted as Hermione slid behind him on the couch, pulling a blanket over the two of them.

"Rough night?" she asked, holding him tight, smelling the fire, sweat, and smoke on his clothes.

"It's getting better," James replied as he rolled over to face Hermione on the couch. "I hate Halloween," he admitted as he held her tight.

"How bad was it?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Let's say the Malfoy line is a bit trimmed now," he looked away holding her tightly. "I'm sorry Hermione, I can't…I can't fight it," he grimaced, burying his face in her shoulder.

"It's okay James," she patted him on the back, like a child. "I know your secret, you can trust me," she whispered in his ear as she curled up against him.

"Hermione," he whispered as she made herself more comfortable. "Hermione, what do you know?" he held her arms, asking her.

"Everything, I know what you were born as James," she kissed his neck, keeping him calm.

"How?" he asked angrily.

"I intercepted your owl the one day," she smiled as she cuddled next to him. "Frank and I have been talking for a couple weeks now," she grunted, flipping him so she could be on top as they slept. "Now shut up and go to sleep," she ordered, covering his mouth with her own.

**A/N: A bit short, but got to the point, I think.**


	13. Chapter 12: Million Galleon Man

**James Castle**

**Chapter 12: Million Galleon Man**

The school was locked down again on Sunday; no one was allowed to leave their respective towers. Hermione didn't bother asking James where he went, she figured she's read about it soon enough. "That owl isn't getting any treats from me for a while," James grumbled as Hermione petted and fed the snowy white owl.

"Be nice," Hermione frowned at him. They were at a secluded window in the Gryffindor tower, preparing to send a pair of letters to Frank. "She's a nice owl, what is her name?" she asked as she tied the letters to her leg.

"Hedwig, Moony bought her for me for me before he came here to teach," James sighed. "Hermione, please don't keep any secrets like this from me again," he sighed, petting his owl who was staring angrily at him.

"Then stop keeping things from me," Hermione scolded him, releasing Hedwig and closing and locking the window behind them. "I'm a big girl James, I can handle it," she frowned.

"Some secrets can't get out Hermione, it's safer that way," he walked next to her, pressing his head against the window. "If people found out, you'd be in danger, just by being around me," he relaxed when she patted him on the back.

"I'm okay with a little danger," she smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "So, how mad is Malfoy going to be when he sees you?" she asked quietly as some younger students walked by.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he'll try to kill me the first chance he gets," James chuckled. "He'll have some help from a few of his classmates I imagine," James figured a few of the Death Eaters must have had children in Hogwarts.

"How bad is the story going to be?" she asked, thinking back to the articles that came out about the Punishers following the execution of Bellatrix LeStrange, painting him as an insane muggle killer.

"Oh, on a scale of one to ten, probably a twenty," he laughed and walked her back to the common room, changing to a much happier subject.

**

* * *

  
**

The Great Hall was silent as James entered Monday morning for breakfast. He had taken an extra long shower, preparing for whatever was going to be thrown at him, so most of the school was there already there when he opened the doors and slipped inside. A room full of eyes locked on him as he cautiously walked his way toward the Gryffindor table to Hermione.

"Mudblood filth!" Malfoy screamed, pulling his wand along with half a dozen other Slytherins. "You're going to pay!" he spat, the tip of his wand growing red. Before any of them could get a spell off, they were knocked off their feet from a blast of light by the Headmaster.

"Severus, please take them somewhere to cool down, inform them they will have detention with me all week," Dumbledore ordered the Potions Master. "Fifty points from Slytherin, there will be no dueling or attacking other students in Hogwarts!" his voice boomed. "Anyone breaking these rules will be punished severely," he continued. "I have an announcement to make, regarding the events in the Daily Prophet," he motioned James to take his seat by Hermione as Snape levitated the Slytherins from the Great Hall. "As irresponsibly reported by the Prophet, yes James Castle is the nephew of the killer known as the Punisher," he eyed the remaining Slytherins, watching to see if anyone else was going to make a move. "He has been questioned by myself and Minister and had no part in the actions of his Uncle. Anyone thinking of taking action against him to get back at his Uncle will be punished very harshly," he directed the last bit at the remaining Slytherins. "Let me make this perfectly clear, Frank Castle is a criminal and will be caught by the Aurors, no one has the right to act as executioner, regardless of the crimes someone may or may not have committed," he frowned as James snorted at this last part. "Now, continue with your breakfast, and remember my warnings," he finished, eyeing James and Hermione carefully. "I'm going to have to have a word with that boy," he mumbled to himself as he say down and relaxed into his chair.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as soon as the Headmaster had finished talking, holding James' hand tightly.

"Peachy," he eyed the newspaper she was slide down the table away from him. "Come on, let me see it," he gestured at Ron who handed him the copy of the Daily Prophet past an angry Hermione.

"Ronald!" she turned, glaring at him.

"Sorry Hermione, but he's going to find out eventually," Ron shrugged, stuffing his face with bacon and sausage. "Might as well get it over with," he choked on a bit of food before Hermione hit him on the back hard, dislodging it. "Thanks Hermione," he gasped.

"Maybe if you took the time to chew," she scolded him some more, going into a tirade about his less than stellar grades and obsession with Quiddich.

James tuned Hermione and Ron's voices out as he glanced over the paper.

_**Wanted, Dead or Alive**_

_**1 million Galleon reward**_

James frowned at the picture under the headline. It showed the Punisher pointing his gun at and glaring threateningly at the camera. 'Damn, the Malfoy woman survived,' he swore to himself, reading the caption on the picture, explaining how the picture was taken from a Pensieve memory of Narcissa Malfoy.

_The wizarding world was shocked Halloween night as the Muggle mass murderer Frank Castle, AKA the Punisher assaulted the home of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. According to Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, who were given the task of bringing the man to justice the week after the slaying of Bellatrix LeStrange, Castle entered the home around 8:00 PM, using muggle explosives to break the wards on the doorway._

_According to the testimony of Narcissa Malfoy, there were eleven business associates of her husband there that night, but the Ministry has been unable to verify this due to the nature of the case. After making his way through the house, executing the defenseless wizards there, he found Lucius and Narcissa trying to escape through the Floo, firing his muggle firearm at them, killing Lucius, who used the last bit of his strength to push Narcissa into the Floo. She was hit in the shoulder by a bullet and treated at St. Mungos and is recovering nicely. It appears that Castle then released Fiendfyre, destroying the home and the bodies. It took a team from the Ministry nearly seven hours to contain and extinguish the flames._

_The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has issued a standing order to kill Frank Castle on sight and offered a one million Galleon reward for the capture of the killer, dead or alive. When questioned as to why Castle is killing wizards, he admitted that the man has a nephew, James Castle, age 17, at Hogwarts, who has been questioned by Aurors in regards to the Bellatrix LeStrange killing. Minister Fudge stressed that the boy had no knowledge of what Frank Castle was doing and he is not under suspicion._

"What an interesting read," James muttered, throwing the paper back at Ron. "Hermione, remind me to strangle the Minister when I see him again for mentioning me," he fumed, digging into his breakfast.

"Be nice," she glared at him, hitting him on the arm. "People would have found out eventually," she scolded him.

**

* * *

  
**

Later that day in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Moody asked for Hermione and James to stay after for a bit. James glared at Moody, just wanting the day to end. People had been avoiding him like the plague, even his own housemates. The only ones that were not avoiding him were the Slytherins who were waiting for chances to attack him, though only two had the gall to actually carry through with it. They both ended up in the hospital wing after James sent the pair of them into the wall with an Expelliarmus.

After the rest of the class had left, Moody locked the door, placing several wards on it. "Drink this," he ordered, throwing a vial of liquid at James.

"I've already been questioned under Veritaserum," James glared at Moody, throwing the vial back. "By the Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister Fudge," he caught the vial when Moody threw it back to him again.

"Minister Fudge and Dumbledore don't know you two have guns, now drink," he stomped impatiently. "Drink or word of your little toys may find it's way to them," he glared at the boy.

James bit his lip, holding back a long string of curse words before chugging the potion. "Why are you doing this Professor Moody?" Hermione frowned as James became calm and the potion took effect.

"Because, I don't trust anyone, much less that rag of a newspaper. I want the truth, straight from the source," Moody explained harshly. "Who are you?" he turned his eye to the boy, making sure his eyes stayed glazed over, indicating the potion was working.

"James Castle," he responded.

"Do you know who killed LeStrange and those people in the Malfoy mansion?" he continued.

"It was the Punisher," the boy stared back at him.

"And the Punisher is Frank Castle, the man you raised you, your uncle?" Moody continued.

"Of course he is, that garbage piece of paper the Prophet got that right," James smirked.

"Why are you showing emotion?" Moody frowned, knowing his Veritaserum was good, he tested it on himself earlier.

"Ask Dumbledore, it's a mix of Occulmency and natural immunity, trust me, the potion is working," James calmed Hermione who was wringing her hands together.

"Where did he get the fiendfyre?" Moody demanded.

"He stole it from Knockturn Alley."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Moody continued.

"A week before school started, but we've been talking via owl," James admitted.

"Have you been giving him orders, telling him who to kill?" Moody demanded.

"No, I haven't told Frank who to kill. He and I do not talk about his business as the Punisher," James shook his head as his eyes started clearing up. "The Veritaserum is wearing off," he mumbled.

"Do you or Miss Granger here have anything else that could help track him down?" Moody asked as the potion continued to wear off.

"Nope, we don't even know where he is," James replied, getting up from his seat. "Can we go now Professor Moody?" he asked, glancing at the door.

"Go," Moody frowned at them as he waved his wand, removing the wards and locks on the door. "Keep those guns where they belong you two, I don't want to be cleaning bits of Slytherin off the walls," Moody growled.

"Don't worry Professor, I can handle them without my gun," James laughed as he and Hermione left the DADA classroom.

"James, you should not have let him use that potion on you, there's no way of knowing what it was," Hermione scolded him as they walked back to the Gryffindor tower.

"It was either that or get in trouble because of the guns Hermione," he shrugged. "Besides, he didn't learn anything that Dumbledore didn't already know, or have an idea about," he paused at the portrait of the fat lady.

"He learned about you owling Frank," Hermione pointed out.

"Dumbledore had to have had an idea about that already, he's not stupid. Don't worry, Frank knows how to lay low," he smiled as she gave the password opening into the common room. "Ah, hell," he swore when he saw an older man waiting for them.

"James, language!" Hermione hit him. "What brings you here Professor Lupin?" she asked the angry werewolf.

"You and me are going to have a long talk now James," Lupin got up, glaring at the boy.

"Fine, where can me, you, and Hermione talk?" he shrugged.

"We are going to talk alone," Lupin frowned at James.

"It's okay Moony, she knows," James frowned as the werewolf relaxed.

"Then might I suggest the Head Girl's room, we should be secure there," he gestured at the stairs.

"They turn into a slide," James frowned, not budging.

"Ah, I guess it means you haven't snuck up to her room yet," Lupin laughed as James looked ready to kill him. "She's the Head Girl James, she can deactivate the spell," Lupin replied as Hermione pressed her wand to the banister.

"And you were planning on telling me this when?" James poked Hermione in the side at the top of the stairs when she stopped and reactivated the defenses.

"Oh eventually, when I was ready to sneak you up," she smirked at him.

"I really do not want to be hearing this you two," Lupin complained as Hermione led them to her room. "What you two do is your own business, I trust you to be intelligent and use protection," he laughed as the two of them froze.

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione blushed.

"Moony!" James glared, grinding his teeth.

"Fine enough on that subject," Lupin shrugged as he closed the door behind them and warded it. "On to another subject, what the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" he gripped James by the shirt pulling him close.

"Back off Moony," James hit his hand away, glaring at the werewolf. "What's your problem?" he frowned as the werewolf threw the copy of the Daily Prophet at him. "Oh, that," he shrugged.

"Quite interesting, Frank being over here, killing Death Eaters quite efficiently it seems," Lupin stared at the two of them. "I talked to him on the phone James, he's in Chicago, what do you think you are doing?" he questioned the boy.

"Taking care of the garbage Moony," James frowned before going to a comfortable looking chair, dropping into it roughly. "Taking care of the garbage," he muttered to himself, staring into space.

"Miss Granger, you know about all this and you haven't stopped him?" Moody ran his hands through his hair. "He's going to get himself killed out there," he stared as the girl went and started massaging James' shoulders from behind.

"I wanted to stop him Professor Lupin, I'd love for him not to go out there, doing what he does," she continued rubbing his back, relaxing him. "But he needs to be there, the Ministry is being taken over from the inside, muggles…are being killed every day," she shuddered, thinking of her parents. "Someone needs to do something," she wiped the tears away, glaring at him.

"But why him, why alone?" Lupin growled, sitting on Hermione's bed, staring at the two students.

"Because of who I am Moony," James spoke after a few tense moments. "They killed my family, they ruined my life, they killed me," he glared at the werewolf, breathing heavily. "Frank saved me, he built me back up, gave me what I needed, you helped too you know," James sighed, looking down at the carpet.

"I didn't mean for you to use those weapons, or any of those things you were making for Frank," Lupin slumped his head in defeat. "You're all I have left of your parents Harry," Lupin stopped when he realized his mistake.

James tensed up, shaking, gripping his wand in his pocket tightly. "Harry Potter is dead, he…" James stopped talking as Hermione got between him and Lupin, distracting him with a kiss.

"I'm sorry James, forgive me," Lupin begged once Hermione broke the kiss.

"James," Hermione glared at him, hands on her hips.

"It's okay Moony," James replied. "I finally got them to work you know, a year after you left," he smiled, pulling his gun and handing it to the werewolf. "It's a permanent charm that swaps between bullets, stunners, reductos, incarcerous, a smoke charm, and stupefies," James explained. "It needs a wizard to work though, I really was trying to make them for Frank, Moody," James sighed as he was given the gun back.

"You should know, Sirius Black is your Godfather, I can find him if you want," Moody offered. "He can be trusted James, he was found innocent of his crimes after he found the real traitor Peter Pettigre…" he stopped, taking in the look on the boy's face. "How big of a hand did you have in Pettigrew's capture?" he asked James.

"Black approached me in the forest when I was training, in his animagus form. I made him change and almost killed him right there," James admitted. "I made him swear an oath, if I brought him the rat, he would return that night, otherwise I would kill him. And the rest is history," James shrugged. "I gave him Max's card, in case he needed a way to hide out somewhere, if you want to contact him," James explained.

"Does he have any idea about you?" Lupin asked.

"He might have, but after I scared the hell out of him and he saw no curse scar on my head, he seemed to accept who I was and who I was not," James frowned.

"He probably suspects," Lupin commented. "I heard from Kingsley Shacklebolt that he is going after the man that he said he was going after the assassin that killed the Dursleys," Lupin told them.

"Good luck with that, Frank is still trying to find the bastard himself," James shrugged.

"Just be careful out there James, please," Lupin gave up. "Dumbledore called for me after he found out I was the one to tutor you in the States, he somehow got your record unsealed after the latest killings," Lupin explained as Hermione jumped. "Relax Miss Granger, I'm not going to give them anything useful, my condition makes me quite immune to Legilmancy and Veritaserum, but I'll need to give them something, some kind of idea of what the Punisher's plans are," Lupin explained.

"They're terrorists, I'm going to treat them as such," James leaned back into the chair relaxing. "I'll start taking out his supporters, the Death Eaters that are funneling him money," he explained. "They're start turning on him, being killed by him, or going to the Ministry, begging for mercy," James continued. "Then I'll kill Voldemort, and live happily ever after," he smiled getting out of the chair. "Want to see what I can make my cloak do?" he grinned ear to ear, pulling his wand out to demonstrate to his old teacher.

**A/N: Another done, rawr. Business will be picking up in the coming chapters, keep an eye out for the appearances of Tonks, Shacklebolt, Frank, and the return of Sirius.**


	14. Chapter 13: Chasing Ghosts

**James Castle**

**Chapter 13: Chasing Ghosts**

"Remus, please sit," Dumbledore requested after Lupin entered the Headmaster's office. Lupin frowned as he glanced around noting Snape, Moody, Tonks, and Shacklebolt were in the room, seated already, before taking his own seat. "Have you found anything out from the boy, regarding the location of Frank Castle?" Dumbledore cut to the chase quickly.

"Nothing I couldn't have figured out by myself," Lupin glared at Snape. "Why are they all here Albus?" he gestured at the others gathered in the room. "You asked me to help, and this smells like a bloody ambush," he and Snape glared into each other's eyes. "Don't bother trying to read my mind Snape, it won't work on a werewolf," he broke the eye contact, frowning at Dumbledore.

"Speaking of reading minds, how did the boy learn to protect his?" Snape sneered at Lupin.

"He had some natural skill, I started teaching him when he was nine," Lupin smirked as Snape's face grew red.

"You, you're nothing but a pathetic werewolf, a creature that no one will ever let near children," Snape said loudly.

"And apparently, a very good teacher, he sent me a copy of his proficiency tests, the only one who can stack up to him in knowledge here is your Head Girl," Lupin taunted. "I hear you get worked up when he knows every answer in class Snivelus," Lupin growled.

"Pathetic werewolf!" Snape jumped to his feet pulling his wand, finding himself on the business end of Lupin's and the three Aurors' own wands. "The boy is cheating!" Snape pouted, sinking back into his seat. "His preposterous story is that he has a photographic memory, obviously a lie to cover however he is doing it," Snape ranted.

"I assure you Snape, it's not a trick, he remembers everything he sees, reads, and hears, and can put together puzzles very quickly," Lupin smiled. "He figured out I was a werewolf within three months of the start of his tutoring, the boy is brilliant," Lupin beamed. "Now again, I ask, why have you decided to ambush me here Dumbledore," he asked angrily. "I agreed to talk with him, not to share any of his secrets with Death Eaters or Aurors," he frowned at both groups.

"Remus, it is very imperative we find Frank Castle and stop him, before he kills again," Dumbledore sighed wearily.

"Why?" Lupin asked, causing Dumbledore to groan and Tonks to raise her hands to the air.

"My point exactly," she sighed. "They're just a bunch of lousy Death Eaters," she frowned as she tried to speak more and her voice would not work, before giving Moody the finger noticing he was putting his wand away after silencing her.

"He is murdering them, they deserve to be tried in the court according to the law," Dumbledore frowned at the Auror. "They deserve justice," he said smugly.

"What about justice for their victims, what about justice for everyone they kill," Lupin frowned at Dumbledore. "Moody, you so much as think of silencing me, I swear I'll rip your good eye out," he growled as the old Auror reached for his wand. "I know why you called me here Dumbledore, you wanted me to use my knowledge of Frank to help these two know what he's planning," he jerked his thumb at Tonks and Kingsley. "That about cover it?" he cocked his head at the Headmaster.

"What is he planning?" Dumbledore questioned roughly.

"He's going to kill them all," Lupin shrugged. "Every last Death Eater and Voldemort supporter he can track down, he will destroy them. He'll keep going until Voldemort is all that is left," Lupin said calmly.

"And then?" Dumbledore asked.

"Then he'll kill him too, send him to hell where he belongs," Lupin finished.

"There is nothing the boy can tell us?" Dumbledore begged Lupin and the others.

"I've questioned him under Veritaserum myself Albus, he doesn't know where Castle is and is not hiding anything," Moody said roughly. "We can't question him again under Veritaserum for another week regardless, or risk overdosing his system, the kind I gave him was quite concentrated," he explained as Lupin glared at him.

"If you try that again with him Moody," he was cut off by the old Auror.

"He took it voluntarily Lupin," the man glared back.

"Attempts to get into his mind via Legilmancy are likely to be fruitless as well, thanks to the teachings of the wolf," Snape glared at Lupin.

"Go ahead and try to get into his head again Snivelus, I don't imagine he will be as gentle expelling you as he was last time," Lupin glared at his old enemy. "And you two, they just admitted to several offenses, you are Aurors, why aren't you arresting them?" he waved his hand at Tonks and Shacklebolt.

"We've given them oaths that they cannot be charged with whatever they did to get any information on the Punisher, as ordered by Minister Fudge," Kingsley said dryly. "The Minister is under enormous pressure to bring him in, and since we were the only Aurors that have got a close up look at him, we got the job," he shrugged.

"Never mind the bastard of a Minister almost got us killed with those damn Dementors and the only people getting killed have the bloody Dark Mark!" Tonks glared angrily at Kingsley. "I say we go take a vacation, let him kill all the bloody wankers, maybe he'll pop Fudge while he's at it," Tonks slumped down in her seat as all but Lupin shook their heads at her.

"Our job is to enforce the law Tonks, no matter what our personal beliefs are," Shacklebolt recited, having had this conversation with her before.

"No one has the right to take another's life Nymphadora, it is what makes us better than the Death Eaters," Dumbledore sighed.

**

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**

Lupin walked with Tonks and Shacklebolt through the halls of Hogwarts towards the entrance. He had a good idea what they were feeling after the meeting with Dumbledore had drug on for another 45 minutes, rehashing the same arguments over and over again. They were bound by their job to bring in the Punisher, but he could tell they were not happy about it. Moody was hiding something, Remus figured, after he and Moody had made eye contact a few times, he just had a feeling about it. Dumbledore was set in his mind though, seeing any loss of life as an abomination, nothing could convince him that the Punisher was going to be as big of a threat as Voldemort.

He breathed in a lungful of the cold November air, glad to be out of the castle. No one had spoken since they got out of the meeting, each of them immersed in their own thoughts, and eventually they reached the end of the wards. "So, where are we going?" he asked the Aurors, confusing them.

"We?" Tonks asked, her hair changing to pink.

"Yes, I figured I might as well come with you, lend a hand," Lupin shrugged.

"You're a werewolf and a civilian, we can't be bringing you along," Shacklebolt frowned. "The Minister has given us some leeway, if you can think a reason to bring you though," he ventured, wondering what the werewolf was playing at.

"Well, enhanced senses and all are good for tracking someone," Lupin shrugged. "Besides, anywhere the Punisher goes, there is likely to be danger, and you could use another wand," he added.

"And the real reason?" Kingsley asked, not believing the werewolf.

"You're good people, I figure I can keep him from killing you if you get in his way," Lupin smirked.

**

* * *

  
**

Remus Lupin relaxed as he watched the house with the Auror Tonks. He had followed them as they brainstormed and planned on how to find the Punisher, laughing to himself when he realized they figured they had the skills to bring him in if they found him. After some time the Aurors had settled on a few different targets of acquitted Death Eaters that they figured would be likely targets. Two weeks later, he was with Tonks outside the estate of the Nott family.

"So, Miss Tonks," Remus began, engaging the younger Auror in conversation, seeing how long it would take to make her storm off, slap him, or blush, as was his newest favorite pastime. 'Too many owls with Sirius,' he laughed to himself, biting into an apple.

"Auror Tonks," she glared at him, her hair turning a shade past Weasley red. "What do you want now Remus?" she sighed, trying to rub away the headache that was forming already.

"Oh, just to make conversation with one as lovely as yourself," Remus laughed as he realized how much being in contact with Sirius again was effecting him. "I mean, what else are we to do with our time here," he shrugged. "It's not like Frank is going to come out and be caught by you."

"You are a civilian, the only reason you are here is because Dumbledore suggested it, since you are the only one besides Shack and I that ever got a good look at him," she fumed, watching the house. "You are an observer, nothing more," she looked at a window, thinking she saw movement.

"And you, young Nymphadora Tonks, heir to what remains of the Black family fortune, youngest Auror in ten years," he smirked as she rested her hand on her wand. "What have you been doing the last week, if not observing as well?" he asked, making her look away from him, concentrating on the house.

"You've been in touch with Sirius," she frowned, relaxing into a tree trunk, keeping one eye on the house. "What else did my cousin, the goblin, tell you?" she pried, angry that her own owls to Sirius had gone unanswered.

"Oh, Padfoot tells me lots of things, he says hi by the way," Remus chuckled. "Told me all about how much you love your first name, told me how Fudge nearly got you, Shack, and him killed when he was leaving Gringott's," Remus paused as her eyes narrowed in anger. "So, why are you and Kingsley still with the Ministry, if Fudge nearly had you killed?" he asked the question he had waited until the two of them were alone all week to ask.

Tonks ignored him, wishing Kingsley was here and she did not have to babysit and watch the house at the same time. The three of them had been at the small grove of trees under a localized Fidelus so no one could see them on and off for the better part of two weeks now, hoping to catch the Punisher. "Quiet, I'm trying to watch the bloody house," she frowned, her hair flashing between several colors.

"The house is not going anywhere, and if Frank comes, you won't be the one to spot him," Remus laughed.

He stopped laughing when the young witch, pulled her wand, knocked him down, and pinned him to the ground. "You saying I'm not good enough. I just took you down you bloody werewolf!" she shouted, pressing her wand between his eyes. "Go on, I'm not good enough," she tore into him. "Because I'm a halfblood, because I'm a woman, because I'm part of a disgraced family, which one is your problem with me Lupin," she stared back into his eyes, the end of her wand glowing.

"Because the Punisher is too good," Remus smirked back, before pushing her wand away and flipping so that she was the one pinned. "And when I choose to use my curse, Nymphadora," he emphasized her name. "I am more than able to take you down," he growled before letting her up.

She scrambled, recovering her wand and pointed it at Lupin. "We're on the same side here Tonks," Remus shrugged, ignoring the Auror.

"What side would that be?" she shuddered as he closed the distance between them and pinned her eyes to her sides.

"The side that is against Voldemort and the Death Eaters," he sniffed her hair as he held her still. "The Punisher is a means to an end, he's out there killing the killers," he relaxed his grip a bit. "And your own Minister is trying to kill the only person who is stopping the killers, not to mention almost killing you and your partner," he released her. "The better question is, what side are you on?" he walked away and say on the grass, examining the house.

She stood there, not able to move from what he said. "I'm an Auror, I am on the side of the Ministry of Magic," she said quietly to herself.

"The Ministry that let's Death Eaters go free without a trial? The Ministry that sent Sirius away without a trial? The Ministry that has not been able to capture a single Death Eater in the time that the Punisher has killed a couple dozen of them?" Lupin said loudly, tapping his ear when she looked his way. "Werewolf," he shrugged, ignoring her mood.

She frowned, ignoring the werewolf as they sat next to each other, watching the house together for a while. "Cozy," Shacklebolt grumbled as he relaxed, taking a seat on the other side of Lupin. "Report Tonks?" he asked, examining the house.

"Haven't seen or heard anything," she admitted to her superior.

"And you Lupin?"

"Have not seen a thing Shack," Remus grinned at the Auror. "I was wondering what you and Tonks here plan on doing if you actually find the Punisher," Remus questioned, noting the discomfort from both Aurors.

"We have to bring him in Remus, it's our job, no matter how much we might agree with what he might be doing," Kingsley sighed, having just returned from another meeting with the Minister, ending with Fudge demanding the Punisher's capture or he would be out of a job.

"Be that as it may, the Punisher is very good at what he does, you aren't likely to see him until its too late," Lupin reminded them.

"Like now?" a voice came from behind the three of them and they heard a pair of clicks. "Don't move," the voice ordered as Tonks and Shacklebolt started to move for their wands.

"Do exactly what he says, please," Lupin slowly moved away from the two Aurors. "Long time no see Frank," he smiled, knowing the polyjuice secret.

"Shut it wolf," James glared at him. "Take their wands and hand them to me," he ordered, keeping his guns trained on the Aurors.

"Are you out of your bloody mind Lupin?" Kingsley swore as he and Tonks surrendered their wands. "When Fudge finds out you double crossed us, he's going to have you executed," he threatened as the two of them turned to face Lupin and the Punisher.

"Lupin didn't give me any information on you, besides that he was assisting you," James replied, relaxing his guns a bit, but keeping them trained on the Aurors. "I've been scouting this place for the last three days, making sure I knew how to get into the house and what my opposition would be inside," he explained.

"How did you find us, this area is charmed, and I'm the bloody secret keeper," Tonks glared at Lupin and the Punisher.

"Muggle technology has come a long way in the last fifty years," James shrugged, casually tossing Tonks a pair of goggles. "Put them on, then press the button on the side," he instructed Tonks, who reluctantly followed his instructions.

"What am I seeing?" she asked, confused by the red human shapes on a green background.

"Heat sensing goggles, your Fidelus doesn't stop your heat signatures, and a strong enough mind can break through the charm if they can see it," he motioned for the goggles back and tucked them away. "At least that's my theory, James or Lupin would have a better idea than me about all this wizard stuff," he glanced at Lupin.

"What are you going to do, kill us?" Tonks asked angrily, making motions for Lupin to stun the Muggle.

"Why would I do that? Everyone I've killed so far has had the Mark, I make sure of my targets before I punish them, unlike some people in power," he tucked his guns away and walked to the edge of the Fidelus.

"You are referring to Sirius Black, I assume," Shacklebolt responded, walking beside him nervously. "How do you even know about him?" he questioned.

"Maxwell Smart," James replied, making sure he kept up the charade that he had planned in his mind. "Lupin, explain," he ordered, pulling a pair of binoculars and examining the house.

"Max is a Squib living in the States, works for one of the secret Muggle agencies," Lupin explained. "Don't even try it Nymphadora," he drew out her name as she moved to take her wand back. "If you make a move for the wands, I can't guarantee your safety," he pointed his own wand at the Auror as James held his hand on the handle of a gun.

"Tonks, stand down, that's an order," Shacklebolt frowned, grinding his teeth.

"But!" she exclaimed, turning on her partner.

"I said stand down," he took a step toward her, intimidating her with his larger size.

"Damnit Shack, what the hell are…" she stopped as she lost her voice and found herself unable to move.

"Thank you Remus," he nodded at the werewolf who smirked, pointing his wand back at the ground. "You were saying, about this Maxwell Smart?" he questioned.

"Well, he's about as close to an unspeakable as they have in the Muggle government there," Lupin continued. "He owes Frank some favors from way back," he shrugged. "Sirius made contact with him once he got to the States on his mission from the Goblins and well…. Max likes to share his information once you are on his good side," Lupin laughed.

Shacklebolt looked away from Tonks, not wanting to be there when she was released, judging by the look on her face and in her eyes. He watched Castle put away his binoculars before something clicked in his head. "Black didn't catch Pettigrew, did he? It was the boy," he watched the Punisher's face, searching for a reaction.

"Correct, but James is not giving me any other information, besides that you people keep harassing him," he frowned, pulling out a pistol. "I have my own sources you know, I'd prefer that the boy is kept out of this," he laughed, taking a look at the younger Auror. "Let her go Lupin, I'm sure her partner can keep her under control," he nodded at Lupin.

"If you say so," Lupin shook his head and released the spell.

"Bloody werewolf!" Tonks screamed immediately, whirling to hit Lupin before she was grabbed in a bear hug by Shacklebolt. "Let me go Shack, I'm gonna kill him!" she continued to struggle and swear against the larger man's hold.

"I can stun you this time, if you like," Lupin offered as she stopped struggling, but glared at Lupin, her hair and eyes turning black. "Not a very becoming look," he smiled at her.

"Don't…" she growled at him, balling her fists.

"Don't what? Nymphadora," he over pronounced her name very carefully.

"Don't!" she yelled, slamming her head back into Shacklebolt's face. "Call!" she continued, break the grip his arms had as he clutched his bloodied nose. "Me," she grunted as she lunged at Lupin. "Nymphadora!" she yelled as she kicked his legs out from under him and moved to grab the wands.

"Please don't," she heard the voice behind her as she felt the cold metal on the back of her head. "Stand up Tonks," James ordered as she raised her hands and slowly got up and turned.

"What are you going to do, kill me?" she glared into the Punisher's eyes.

"I'd prefer not to, I only kill those who deserve it," he shrugged.

"How can you be so sure they're Death Eaters, what gives you the right to judge them?" she glared at the man.

"The Dark Mark is a pretty good sign," he slowly lowered his gun. "I questioned LeStrange after I took her from the alley," he admitted, turning on Tonks, motioning her to walk with him as Lupin and Shacklebolt recovered. "One of the more interesting things I got from her, concerns the Mark," he glanced over, making sure she wasn't going to try anything. "Lucius Malfoy and many others, they claimed they were under the Imperious when they took the Mark and served Voldemort in the past, correct?" he asked as he fished around in his pockets for something.

"Yes, they were acquitted of being Death Eaters," she frowned.

"Curious that your pure-blood Minister did not question his fellow pure-bloods with Veritaserum, isn't it?" he smirked, pulling a small tape recorder from his pocket. "It's amazing what you can find when you question a pure-blood under Veritaserum," he commented as he pressed down a button.

_"Well now LeStrange, what about that lovely Mark of yours?" the Punisher's voice played from the device._

_"They are a mark of honor to the Dark Lord," she said gleefully._

_"What about those who were under the Imperius when they took the Mark?" he asked._

_"One cannot take the Mark while under the Imperius," she laughed. "You have to take it of your own free will, you have to take a life to bond your own to the Dark Lord, no one can take the Mark under the Imperius," she cackled as the tape was shut off._

"Here, see what good it does you," he handed her the device. "Got my whole interrogation of her on there. Good luck on making your bosses believe it," he shrugged and got to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get this show on the road," he smiled, pulling a small box with a switch on it from an inside pocket.

"We can't let you kill them," Tonks glared at the recorder, not even looking up.

"Tonks, think about the situation for a moment," Shacklebolt pinched at his nose, slowing the blood flow. "If you were him, what would you be doing right now?" he grimaced as he removed his hand, glad the flow had stopped.

"I'd be down there killing the Death Eaters," she cringed when she saw the blood all over her partner. "Sorry about that Shack," she murmured.

"What about me?" Lupin asked as he rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the ground.

"Go bugger yourself," she glared at the werewolf.

"Tonks, focus," Shacklebolt ordered her. "Why is he up here talking to us, and not down there?" he shook his head at the younger Auror, trying to get her to learn.

She frowned, looking between Shacklebolt and Castle. "To give us the tape?" she gave up, holding the recorder in her hand.

"That's inadmissible in a wizarding trial, and will be confiscated if the Minister learns of it," Lupin pointed out.

"Was not talking to you werewolf," she glared at him. "To scare us off?" she guessed after a moment.

"He has not injured us, I believe you are the only one that has done that," Shacklebolt replied. "He's here to warn us, tell us to stay out of his way," Shacklebolt explained. "In his head he's a soldier, he only wants to kill the Death Eaters, not us," he glanced at Castle who chuckled.

"Little from column A, little from column B," he shrugged. "There's some good information on that tape, regarding how the Death Eaters work, and I don't like killing police," he smiled down at the box with a switch in his hand. "They're already dead by the way," he admitted. "I entered the building a few hours ago and took care of it," he smiled as he flipped the switch and the building shuddered. "That's some Fiendfyre again, you'd best call a containment team to take care of it," he bowed, backing away from the observation area. "Until next time," he saluted before disappearing into the woods.

**

* * *

  
**

Shacklebolt was indifferent as he left another meeting where the Minister had nothing better to do but scream at him for the lack of progress in the Nott and Malfoy cases. He left the Ministry lobby and apparated directly to Hogsmeade, slipping into the bar owned by Dumbledore's brother Aberforth. He walked to his usual seat at the bar and took a long drink from the beer Aberforth brought him.

"A bit sad to drink alone," someone commented, sitting next to him, with a similar drink.

"Dangerous for you to be in public, isn't it?" he responded, glancing at the figure with a hooded cloak over his face. "Lupin charm that for you?" he inquired.

"Nah, I have other connections, don't want the wolf to get in trouble if they catch me and track him," the man shrugged.

"How many tonight?" he asked, thinking back to Fudge complaining about another house of alleged Death Eaters being hit earlier, the third one since the Nott household.

"No one important, been having a tough time getting good information from them," James shrugged under his cloak. "I'm going to have to move up my timetable, I think You-know-who has figured out how I found them and is scrambling their minds," he admitted, taking a drink.

"How many?" Shacklebolt asked again.

"Just four," James relaxed his head in his hands. "It's not easy you know, I know they deserve it, but it's just not easy," he admitted, looking into his drink.

"It never should be," Shacklebolt agreed. "Tonks been bothering you much?" he asked, taking a sip himself.

"Nah, she's easy enough to lose, its fun to tease her," James laughed.

"She doesn't think you're human, she thinks you're a vampire, or a ghost, the way you keep disappearing," Shacklebolt replied.

"She's come close a couple times, how long until you think she gives up?" James asked.

"How long until you stop revealing yourself to her?" Shacklebolt replied.

"Point taken," he gripped his mug, banging it against Shacklebolt's. "I know it's not easy on you two, but I appreciate it," he finished his drink before motioning for another.

"Don't worry about it, we couldn't stop you unless the Minister had every Auror guarding every alleged Death Eater, and even then, I wouldn't bet on us," he admitted. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

"The big fishies aren't coming out in the open unless it is completely necessary anymore," James frowned under his robes. "Taking out what is left of his financial base is next, then they should start turning on him," he swirled his drink. "Then I finish this," he took a long drink.

"Need anything?" Shacklebolt asked, glancing at the other man.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get you if I need you," James replied.

**

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**

"God damn it!" Tonks screamed as she turned into an empty alley. "He was right bloody here!" she frowned, kicking at a trashcan.

"Temper there Tonks," a familiar voice greeted her at the end of the alley.

"Lupin, what do you want?" she frowned, glaring at him.

"Oh, just watching the cat and mouse game," he shrugged, leaning against the wall. "You can call me Remus you know, we've been working together long enough," he smirked.

"Working together?! You've been getting in my bloody way, pissing me off, and for all I know, feeding him information!" she advanced on him, pointing her wand under his chin.

"He's been feeding me information on where he was going to play with you, if anything," he relaxed, pushing her wand away. "What would you do if you caught him anyway, arrest him?" he stepped forward, pushing her back a step. She froze, gripping her wand in her right hand. "You won't turn him in and you know, you wish you were out there helping him," he walked forward, pinning her against the other wall.

"Go to hell," she swore, reaching back and slapping him across the face.

"That the best you got?" he taunted, turning the red cheek back to her.

"You're so dead," she threatened before knocking his legs out from under him and diving on top of him.

**A/N: Sorry took a while, was out of town and forgot backup battery for the laptop. Anyway, going by what I hope people who aren't the high and mighty Dumbledore would react to the situation as for how I have people acting. Going a bit different with the NT/RL on this one if you couldn't tell, making him a bit of a pain in the ass due to his time in America so he drives her crazy.**

**Yes, I meant to use Agent 86, thought it would be funny. Don't worry, it's just a passing mention, he's not a recurring character. Anyway, next chapter preview: two wizards will return to England, title is Back in Black.**

**Also, in regarding my next story after this, I plan on writing a lot of crossovers, because I personally think if they are done well, are very entertaining. So until this story is complete, when you review, attach a little ( -xxxxxxxx ) at the end of a review for a vote as to what X-over you want next. I won't say how I will do the X-over, but they are all different than the premise in this one.**

**Options I have plots…more or less…for already are:**

**(Serious)**

**Captain America**

**Iron Man**

**The Flash**

**Green Lantern**

**Batman**

**(Comedy)**

**Scooby-Doo**

**A-Team**

**Write ins are welcome too, I can always torrent and wiki some comics if it is one I am not familiar with.**


	15. Chapter 14: Harry James Potter

**A/N ahead of time, I know in last chapter I said the mentioning and use of Agent 86 would be done, I had to throw him in here as well. Try to picture him with the voice and try not to laugh (not the remake, the original voice)**

**James Castle**

**Chapter 14: Harry James Potter**

Sirius Black looked at the card in his hand, then at the door in front of him, making sure it was the same address. "Here goes nothing," he shrugged, knocking on the door.

The door opened and an ordinary looking man with a nasally voice greeted him. "Yes, can I help you?" he asked as Sirius flashed the card he got from James back in England.

"Maxwell Smart?" Sirius asked as the man took the card and ushered him in. "Nice place," he commented as he stepped past the man into a spacious living room.

"Forgive my distrust, but how did you get this?" Max asked as he moved to the kitchen and poured a couple glasses of scotch on the rocks. "The only people who have these cards are…rather difficult to get along with," he handed the glass to Sirius.

"My name is Sirius Black, I got it from James Castle," Sirius shrugged, relaxing onto the couch after his long portkey ride from Gringott's.

"Oh, of course you did, how wonderful," Max sighed, banging his head against the bar between the kitchen and the living room. "Does the boy know you are wanted for murder?" he asked, taking a long drink from his glass.

"Your information is a bit out of date, wait, let me find it," Sirius frowned, putting down the glass and digging around his pockets until he found the Daily Prophet that explained his circumstances.

"Interesting, you don't look like much of a Goblin," Max commented as he read the paper.

"It was either defect to them or be under the rule of the Ministry, not a hard choice," Sirius shrugged. "The goblins hired me as a mercenary, to track down some people they want to speak with," Sirius explained, drawing the other man's attention. "I need a new identity so I can track him here, the American Wizarding government is a bit more strict on what you can or cannot do than over in England. They wouldn't take kindly for me to be walking around causing trouble," Sirius smiled.

"Interesting story Mr. Black, you will be okay to stay here for a couple days as I prepare you a new identity?" Max replied, cursing James Castle in his head.

"Sure, no problem, but while you're out, I need some information," Sirius handed him a piece of paper. "I can pay quite handsomely for information on these people," he smirked when Max's eyes widened and he finished his drink.

"I'll see what I can do Mr. Black," Max replied, headed off into the house, returning with some sheets, pillow, and blankets for the couch. "No magic here please, my home is watched by several agencies, and it would be best to not attract more than the usual amount of attention," he explained to Sirius.

"Can't they hear us talking, if they are watching you so closely?" Sirius questioned nervously.

"You aren't the only one James gives presents to, he put up some wards around my apartment," Max explained. "I am the secret keeper, those blasted cards hold the location, that's why I am bound to help you," he sighed. "I'll see what I can do about these people," he scowled at the paper. "I should be able to get you a new identity set up by the end of the week. Try not to destroy my home in the meantime," he shook his head again, using every curse word in his vocabulary against James Castle before going to bed.

**

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**

He arrived back the next night, finding Sirius Black watching the television intently. "This is the best thing I have ever seen," Sirius said numbly, watching the TV, that was stuck on the History Channel.

"Okay, enough of that, come here," Max complained, leading Sirius to the open table. "Here are your new identification documents, Mr. Dark," he handed Sirius a folder full of paper.

"Mr. Dark, that's the best you had?" Sirius complained, looking over the paperwork.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Max replied, pulling another envelope from the inside pocket of his suit-jacket. "This," he pushed the envelope along the table. "Does not exist," he sighed as Sirius opened the envelope. "I did not get this information for you, we never met, and you are leaving tomorrow, got it?" he asked Sirius, watching as the man examined the information that was passed to him.

"Met who? Where am I?" Sirius smirked over the top of the papers.

**

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**

Sirius Black whistled as he walked along a sidewalk, discreetly looking toward the inside of his coat where he had a location charm working. He stopped in front of a brick building, noticing the charm directing him upwards. "Great, like this isn't a trap," he muttered, pulling his wand and opening the lock. He moved silently, having learned how to do magic without setting off wizarding wards from the Goblins he was now employed by. It was the second week of December, he had been tracking his different targets for months now, finally getting within range of the one the Goblins wanted him to handle.

He closed in on the edge of a door, hearing voices from the other side. He paused, not being able to understand what was being said, quickly scanning the door to discover a charm distorting what was being said inside. "Here goes nothing," he grinned, resting his wand against his head. "Hello," he grinned after kicking the door open, causing the three men inside to turn on him quickly. "Castle? Kakaroff?" he growled, moving his wand between the two men and his target.

"Black?" Igor Kakaroff stared at the wizard, moving his wand to point at the door.

"Well, isn't this interesting?" the third man replied, holding a pistol on each hand. One was pointed at Kakaroff, the other at the fourth man in the room.

"What the hell are you doing here Black?" Frank Castle asked, holding his pistols on Kakaroff and the other man. The men shifted their wands and guns between the others for a few moments, before settling, Castle pointed at Kakaroff and the fourth man, Kakaroff at Black, Black at the fourth man, and the fourth man at Castle and Black.

"Oh, thought it would be a fun vacation," Sirius laughed. "The Goblins want words with him," he pointed his wand at the fourth man. "They say he is interfering with their business too much, and I have my own questions for him, if he is who they say he is," Sirius glared at the Muggle.

"Black, the Dark Lord will reward me for killing you here today," Kakaroff snarled before Castle and the other man hit him in the back of the head, knocking him out.

"Shut up you idiot," Frank kicked at Kakaroff, knocking his wand into the corner. He and the other man kept their guns trained on each other and Sirius the whole while. "Black, you need to leave now," Frank stared down the barrel at the other man.

"Who's he?" Sirius asked, keeping his wand trained on Kakaroff. "Why is he so important for the Goblins?"

"My name is Dmitri," the man bowed slightly. "They want me because I, as a Squib, have taken a shine to killing wizards when paid by other wizards," he smiled before Sirius's wand was aimed between his eyes.

"You," Sirius stepped toward the man. "You, you took my life," Sirius glared, the end of his wand glowing green as the Muggle pointed his pistols back at Sirius.

"I've never seen you before in my life you fool, and I never forget a target," Dmitri glared back, quickly swinging his left hand out so that he had Sirius and Castle in his sights. "Who did I kill, who did you love" he smirked. "My memory is a bit short as the list is so long," he laughed.

"You killed my godson you son of a bitch!" Sirius cried out, ducking between the guns, lifting Dmitri against the wall with his left hand. "Harry James Potter, he lived with Vernon Dursley, you killed him a little over a decade ago," Sirius threatened as the man laughed, dropping his guns.

"The boy under the stairs?" he said with all his breath, looking at Frank. "What have you been hiding Frankie-boy," he laughed, eyes rolling into the back of his head as his air was cut off. "The boy never died," he gasped before he passed out.

**

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**

Hermione grinned as Hedwig flew into the Great Hall, the day before Christmas break. She had begged James to borrow the much faster owl to talk to her grandparents before the school break. She opened the letter cheerfully, ignoring James who was recovering from a hangover after another scouting mission on Gringott's Bank, followed some drinking with Kingsley Shacklebolt the night before. She did not like how he treated himself when on his missions, but had learned to go with it at this point.

"What you got?" he grimaced, sipping strong coffee between bites of his breakfast. He had been scouting Diagon Alley and Gringott's for the last week, trying to find a new target, and had not been sleeping well as a result.

"Uh, I just talked to Grandma and Grandpa," Hermione smiled, wiping tears from her eyes, reading the letter. "They want us to come home for Christmas," she said softly.

"Us?" he froze.

"Yes, us James, they want us to take the Express back tomorrow night, then we will have a family Christmas," Hermione smiled, grabbing him by the arm. "Please James, you really need to go," she pleaded, holding him tight.

"Fine," he surrendered. "Anything to make you happy," he muttered into her hair as he hugged her tight.

**

* * *

  
**

"Hello Mr. Granger," James shook the hand of the man with graying hair after he finished hugging Hermione.

"You can call me Matthew, young man," he grabbed James by the hand and pulled him into a tight hug as well. "Hermione has told me so much about you," he smirked after releasing the boy, causing both youngsters to blush.

"Grandpa…" she frowned at him, grabbing James by the hand. "Don't embarrass James," she warned him, as they loaded their trunks into the car, shrinking them as needed.

"I wouldn't dream of it H," Matthew replied, getting into the front of the car alone as the two of them got in behind him in the back.

"H?" James laughed as Hermione glared at him.

"Gave her the nickname when she was six, she didn't much like her name, thought it was too stuffy," the older man laughed as he started the car, pulling away.

"Where's Grandma?" Hermione asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Aggie is back home, preparing the rooms, we have a bit more dropping by this year than before," he replied, turning on the radio. "You kids take it easy, I'll get us home," he frowned as Hermione relaxed and the boy kept looking around. After half an hour of driving, Hermione was sleeping, and he and the boy locked eyes. "You take care of her, got it?" he looked over his shoulder while driving.

"Yes sir," James nodded, swallowing loudly.

"I mean it, she worked hard for this Christmas, don't do anything stupid," he threatened the boy before taking the exit to the cottage the Granger family spent Christmases at.

"You'll love it James!" Hermione drug James along, insisting they leave their trunks until later, letting Matthew park the car under a rustic carport.

"Hermione," James gritted his teeth, feeling something wrong with the situation. "I think something is wrong… I can feel it," he stopped her before she reached to open the door. "Hermione, please, something is wrong," he panicked, pulling his wand, scanning the woods.

"James, please, for me, just go with it," she cried into the back of his shirt as she wrapped her arms around him. "Please," she wiped her tears as he relaxed, turning and looking into her eyes.

"Not going to like this, am I?" he relaxed into her arms.

"Probably not," Hermione bit her lip, looking up at him.

"How bad?" he rested his chin on her head as he spoke.

"Oh….about one step away from a bad as it can be," she frowned, crying again.

"Wonderful, shall we get it over with then?" he asked as he reached for the door.

"Please, don't be mad," she whispered as they opened the door to a crowd of people laughing around a fireplace.

"Oh hell," a familiar voice swore as James reacted to the people in the room. A second later James had hid Hermione behind himself and had his pistol pulled out pointed at the group. While James was doing this, the group had scattered and one of them had pointed a gun back at James, both of them pointed between the others' eyes. "Calm down there James," the older man ordered, releasing his safety.

"Explain, now," James was shaking as his wand responded from his wrist holster and he covered the room. "Now, god damn it!" he screamed, glaring at the room.

"Sorry James," he heard Hermione whisper from behind him before he felt the stunning spell hit him in the back. "James, please, just relax, and let us explain," she pleaded as he slid to the ground, fighting the spell before someone stunned him a second time.

**

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**

He awoke later, in the dark. He felt around, not restrained, but he could not move, due to the witch wrapped around his body, sharing his bed. "Hermione," he muttered as he shook her to wake her up.

"You're up already?" she gasped, checking her watch. "I'm so sorry James, we needed to get you here, and this was the safest way, you never would have agreed if you knew ahead of time," her eyes welled up as she looked into his cold gaze.

"Want me to list reasons why I would not have agreed to this?" he frowned at her. "One, it puts your grandparents in danger. Two through seven, I don't want Lupin, Tonks, Black, Shacklebolt, Frank, and Max knowing what I am doing! It's for their own safety!" he glared at her, pushing her away, sitting alone on the edge of the bed.

"James, they're here because of the advance copy we got of the Daily Prophet for tomorrow," she slid next to him. "It was supposed to be only me, you, grandma, and grandpa, I swear," she explained and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Things came up," she muttered, gripping him tight.

"What the hell could come up that would justify this?" he looked out the window, massaging her back. "Really Hermione, the only thing…" he froze again, spotting the paper on the nightstand and diving at it.

_Daily Prophet_

_**The-Boy-Who-Still-Lives!**_

_Reporters learned today from reliable sources today, that Harry James Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was not killed with his relatives years ago. He was from the attack on his family and raised by none other than Public Enemy #1: The Punisher. It is unknown at this point if the boy knows of his true heritage, as it is likely he has been brainwashed by the killer, Frank Castle._

_The Ministry has issued an order to arrest and bring in Harry Potter, aka James Castle, as to determine the extent of his mental damage during his time with the Muggles. He is to be brought to St. Mungo's immediately to begin evaluation._

_Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore was shocked by the information, breaking off the interview to attempt to catch up with the boy before he left for Christmas holiday to parts unknown. Any more information on The-Boy-Who-Still-Lives should be directed to the Ministry of Magic so the damage done by his upbringing can be rectified._

"GOD DAMN IT!" the cabin shook as the boy yelled and his magic made the building shake.

Back in the living room with the roaring fireplace, Matthew had felt the tremor and pulled the trunks inside. "I felt that outside, you had best bet someone else did as well," he frowned.

"Anything Shack?" Frank asked as he pulled apart the blinds to look outside.

"Nothing yet, maybe they missed it," the Auror mused as he watched a set of runes on the wall nearest to him. "Scratch that, here they come, get on it you two," he jerked his head at Sirius and Remus who started tracing runes along the walls. "How long?" he asked as he took a position at another window and the others copied him, wands and guns hanging at their sides.

"Need another minute, this is fairly complex work," Remus snarled as Sirius continued chanting and tracing runes. "Just keep in the walls, otherwise you'll be locked out of the spell," he ordered as a light appeared on the south wall. "Down!" he screamed, tackling the pink-haired Auror as a blast destroyed the wall, pelting everyone with debris. "Hey there," he blushed, embarrassed at how he now straddled the Auror.

"Hey yourself," she smirked before pushing him off and taking her position at the side of the wall. "The hell…" she muttered as she snuck her head along the hole in the wall to look outside. "These aren't Aurors, these are bloody Death Eaters!" she screamed across the room.

"How long Black!?" Frank shouted as he tracked a target in his sights.

"Thirty seconds, maybe forty-five," Sirius screamed back as the room where they had stashed James in burst open.

"Suppressing fire!" James screamed as he stormed through the door, pistol in one hand, wand in the other. "Get that damn charm up!" he frowned at Sirius as he emptied his gun out one window and fired multiple reductos out another.

The walls of the cabin erupted outwards, spell and gunfire tearing out a good portion of each wall as the two sides traded blows. Frank smiled as he pulled the trigger, after having followed his target since the fighting began. He grinned as he saw blood fly, but swore when he saw a shield spell had protected his target from most of the hit. "Damn it, missed my mark," he grumbled as the charm surrounded the cabin and he felt disoriented.

Everyone quickly removed the piece of paper Sirius had wrote the secret on ahead of time, memorizing the location of the cabin, and regaining their bearings. "Well, that was fun," Sirius laughed as he collapsed from the spellcasting.

Frank examined the broken walls with the Aurors, helping direct them where to reinforce them as they rebuilt them. Grandma and Grandpa Granger fussed over Hermione once James released her and the fighting was finished. Remus laughed as he levitated Sirius to a free bedroom.

Max felt very out of place, seeing the interaction between the other parties. "You okay there James?" he asked, helping support the boy as he staggered from the spellcasting.

"Why are you here Max?" James glared at him.

"Well, she figured you'd need some support when it all came out," he shrugged as the boy tensed.

"They all know?" James sighed in disbelief, almost collapsing.

"Miss Granger, a little help," Max staggered as he caught James.

"James!" Hermione cried out, running over and using her magic to take James into the room where he had rested earlier. "You," pointed between the gathered Muggles and wizards, make this presentable by morning," she ordered before going into the room and closing the door behind them.

**A/N: Dun Dun duuuuuuuuuuun.**

**Explanation on how the Prophet got the story and the reaction in next chapter.**

**In regards to my next planned story, I think Capt. America is the early leader, between the review votes and my own plot points in my head. Coming up 2****nd**** and 3****rd**** would be Iron Man, and Green Lantern. My ideas are less developed for them, but I got a whole plan on how to deal with Cap., Bucky, etc., in my head in regards to a Capt. America / HP crossover.**

**Still accepting write ins btw, if you have a concept and want me to run with it, got nuts, send me a PM. (I think they are active, if not, leave a note in a review, I check them) I do not plan on doing a X-Men/Buffy/Stargate X-over though, so don't bother. Buffy has been done to death, Hybrid Theory and that other series that escapes my memory….(one where they fight Apocalypse, magneto, etc, and Sabertooth is an elder Weasley) have made me not want to bother with an X-men X-over. Stargate-wise, I seen some good ones, some good comedies, Sorcery UNITed being the king.**

**Anyway, til next time, keep on reviewing and voting.**


	16. Chapter 15: Merry Christmas Harry Potter

**A/N: Now with new and improved scene breaks.**

**James Castle**

**Chapter 15: Merry Christmas Harry Potter**

James was confused when he woke up. He was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. He cautiously glanced around as he gathered his bearings, noting Hermione still sleeping, holding onto his midsection with a death grip. He frowned as what all happened last night came into his head. "God damn it," he cursed quietly, causing Hermione to stir.

"Don't swear," she murmured as she blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked up at his face. "You're still mad," she noted, biting her lip.

"I think I have a good reason," he grumbled.

"It's Christmas James, cheer up," she poked him in the chest. "Are you going to be okay if I go take a shower, not gonna go out there and do something stupid," she frowned at him.

"I'll be fine Hermione," he sighed, spotting his gun across the room on a dresser.

"No shooting anyone," she followed his gaze, getting out of the bed. She walked over and picked up the gun, tossing it to her boyfriend. "I mean it, no shooting anyone," she stared him down before slipping into the attached bathroom.

**

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**

Matthew Granger was sitting at the kitchen table in the small, but magically enhanced cabin in the north of Scotland. He glanced up from his newspaper as James entered the room, nodding as the boy helped himself to a cup as well. "No one else awake?" James asked as he examined the magically repaired walls and windows.

"Just you and Frank, he's up in the attic, seeing what he can spot outside," Matthew explained. "The others are all exhausted from yesterday, especially after rebuilding the walls after Hermione took you to bed," he commented. "So, want to talk about it?" he asked, noticing the boy had brought a pistol with him, setting it on the table beside his coffee.

"Not particularly," James grimaced as he drank down the coffee. "But I suppose that is why you are all here, to make me talk it out," he scowled at the older man.

"Actually we were planning on bringing you here for a family Christmas with Hermione before all this madness," Matthew shrugged. "Of course, when word of the upcoming situation reached people, we acted on it as best we could," he admitted. He examined the uncomfortable looking boy who was looking out the windows into the early morning. "Do you love my Granddaughter?" he raised an eyebrow as the boy froze, gripping the coffee cup tightly.

He set the cup down, and rested his head in his hands. "Yeah," he said quietly, gulping as he looked at the old man who smiled at him.

"Good, otherwise I'd have to hurt you for sharing a room with her until you go back to school," he laughed as the boy relaxed a bit.

"I can't go back now, they know," James started shaking until he grabbed his gun. "I can't," he shook his head, calming himself.

"Why not?" Matthew asked.

"I can't be Harry Potter," he shook his head before holding it in his hands again.

The older man sat there watching the distraught young man for a few minutes until Frank came down the stairs from the second floor. Frank nodded at the two of them, pouring himself a cup and relaxing in to a chair beside James. "Time me and you had a talk James," Frank commented, taking a drink of his coffee. "What were you thinking, trying to do this all by yourself?" he scolded the boy. "Hermione told me in her letters what you were doing, running yourself ragged, doing it all yourself, barely sleeping," Frank continued.

"It was my job," James glared at Frank.

"You're a fucking kid, it's not your job," Frank slammed his fist down on the table. "I let you come because it would be good for you to get to know some people your age and to gather some intel on the enemy, not for you to go around killing them yourselves," he lectured as James cringed.

"It's okay son, between Frank, Sirius, and Hermione, everyone got filled in on the current situation after she stunned you," Matthew reached over and grabbed James' hand. "Thank you, for avenging my son," he looked at James who started breathing heavily and panicking.

"James, the point is, you're going to have to face this," Frank said calmly to the boy who was trying to calm himself. "You were born Harry Potter," he looked at the boy whose head snapped up to face him immediately.

"I'm not," James glared back, his face growing red with anger. "He was weak, they beat him down, abused him, they killed him because he was too weak," he gripped the table visibly holding himself back.

"You were a child, you were not weak," Frank glared at the boy. "James, you were Harry Potter, but you aren't any more, you need to accept that," Frank relaxed, patting the boy on the back, calming him.

"They won't accept it, they'll try to pull something, wizards love to meddle," James frowned, going back to staring at his gun. "How did they find out?"

"I was tracking Dmitri, I caught up with him and a wizard called Kakaroff in Chicago," Frank explained. "We had ourselves a nice little Mexican standoff until Sirius showed up to kill Dmitri for the Goblins. Kakaroff shot his mouth off about the Dark Lord so we knocked him out. Once Sirius figured out who Dmitri was and why the Goblins wanted him dead, he stunned him," Frank continued. "Unfortunately, he ran his mouth mentioned how I was there and got you out of the house," Frank frowned. "Even more unfortunately, Kakaroff was awake, heard it, and had a portkey on his person," he finished.

"Wonderful," James pushed away from the table and started making breakfast. He worked alone, gently pushing Hermione away when she tried to help, not so gently pushing Sirius away when he tried the same. "Where are Moony and Tonks?" he asked as he carried the heaping plates of food over to the table that Sirius had expanded.

"Oh, after we all got the cabin put back together, they started fighting again," Shacklebolt told James. "After a minute of yelling, she slapped him, then they started ripping each other's clothes off, nearly going at it like a couple of kids on the table here before they realized the rest of us were here," he knocked on the wood surface.

"Thank you for the wonderful image Auror Shacklebolt," James stabbed a piece of sausage violently before eating it.

"I'm not an Auror anymore, neither is Tonks, just so you know," Kingsley shrugged. "We were fired after that last house you took care of," he explained between bites.

"Sorry about that," James sighed, looking down at his plate.

"No worries, we were both getting tired of working for people who are on Voldemort's payroll," the man smiled. "Besides, we got new jobs offers once this whole news about you hit the papers," he pulled a letter from his pocket. "I'm the new Head of Security at Hogwarts," he smiled, flashing the seal on the letter from Dumbledore. "I get to pick my own team to cover the school," he laughed.

"How did you get people to agree to that?" James asked.

"Dumbledore has two big bargaining chips right now, one, the students, mostly Slytherin, are terrified that the Punisher is going to come for them, so their parents are raising all sorts of trouble at the Ministry. And the other reason, is you," he noticed the boy's face grow dark as Hermione gave his hand a squeeze. "It's going to be a circus," Kingsley admitted.

"You haven't told Dumbledore I'm the Punisher?" James asked suddenly.

"Don't know what you're talking about, the only fellow I've ever seen calling himself the Punisher looked him," he winked pointing at Frank. "I didn't let them know when I worked for the Ministry, I'm not going to start now," he calmed James. "Besides, with my crack team, you should not have much trouble with your little project."

"Who else?" James frowned as most of the short list of people he trusted somewhat were at the table eating with him already.

"Myself, Tonks, a pair of Marauders, and a squib from the states that Sirius picked up on his way back," Kingsley grinned.

"The paperwork for you will be here before New Year's Frank, we're even after this," Max frowned.

"Are you insane, Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, god knows who else in that castle will kill you on sight Frank," James glared at his friend.

"You're not the only one with polyjuice James," Frank laughed. "And Max has graciously agreed to shave his head for the cause," everyone burst out laughing as Max touched his head from reflex, regretting agreeing to this plan.

**

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**

Hermione drug James into the living room after breakfast where the other had set up a Christmas tree the day before they picked her and James up from the train. She forced him to sit down on the loveseat with her as everyone else trickled in and Lupin and Tonks finally joined the rest of the household, to their embarrassment.

Hermione laughed as Tonks chased Sirius from the room, threatening to make him a dog permanently. She relaxed, leaning into James who she could tell was still very angry about the situation. "You gonna make it?" she whispered, tilting her head back so she could see his face.

"I don't know," he replied, resting his own head on hers. "I've been pushing it aside, hiding it, ignoring it for so long, what's going to happen now that people know," he breathed deep and slid down so that Hermione was resting almost completely on top of him. "You'll stay with me, right?" he grabbed her tightly, not caring that the rest of the room was watching them quietly.

"Of course I will James," she cried a little as she comforted him. "I'm girlfriend, I'm not leaving you," she relaxed, pulling him into a sitting position. "Now, it was a little sudden, us gathering like this, but we have some presents we managed to get together," she smiled and pointed him at the tree.

"I didn't have time to get anyone anything," he frowned.

"It's okay James, there will be time for that when this is all over," Hermione grabbed his hand. "I want you to open the one from Grandma, Grandpa, and me first," she explained as he tried to slump down in the seat, but she held him up.

"Here," Hermione's Grandmother wiped away some tears as she handed a box to Hermione.

"Go ahead, open it," she pushed the box into his hands after checking the color on the paper. He pulled the paper apart carefully, revealing something wrapped in tissue paper. He slowly unwrapped it, revealing a small plate of metal on a chain.

"That's one of my dog tags, from World War II," Matthew explained as the boy just stared at it. "I want you to wear it, and remember something that my commanding officer told me to help me get through the war," he got up and walked over to the boy. "We fight because other can't," he took the chain from James and placed it around the boy's neck. "We fight because they don't have the power to," he continued. "We fight, so those we love don't have to," he watched as the boy shuddered.

"Thank you," James replied, looking up, smiling at the older man. "You're all so set on coming with me to Hogwarts," he fingered the tag and tucked it under his shirt. "You can help, but we're going to do it my way," he sighed like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

**A/N: Last bit of setup really, rest of story is going to be non-stop blood, gore, death, destruction, and the like. Anyway, back to Hogwarts next, time to see how things go with the rest of the wizarding world knowing Harry Potter is alive.**

**In regards to the next story, it looks to be about 70/30 Iron Man/Captain America. Only problem is, I want to do Cap. more. So the way I'm gonna do it, once this story is done is to write the two of them concurrently, alternating one then the other. Means slower updates, but I think will improve the quality and keep everyone happy. Anyway, gonna go relax, might get another chapter up tomorrow or Monday, but don't know for sure. Sneak peak on the Cap/Iron stories, the preliminary titles are: Project: Super Soldier, and Unified Theory.**

**P.S. Yeah, I know this was short and little mushy. I'm done with mush for the story from here on out for the most part.**


	17. Chapter 16: Hits the Fan

**James Castle**

**Chapter 16: Hits the Fan**

James was slammed the compartment door shut behind him, leaving Tonks who was serving as his bodyguard outside to keep people out. Hermione had apologized when she abandoned him upon entering the train, her Head Girl status dictating that she had to go to the meeting in the Prefect cabin. From the time that they had entered Diagon Alley until just now when he slammed the door, it had been a circus. Crowds, reporters, Aurors, all of them scrambling to get a look at Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Then-Disappeared-To-Be-Raised-By-A-Killer.

Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Shack (as James took to calling him after learning the nickname from Tonks), and the polyjuiced Frank had formed a perimeter around him, pushing, threatening, sometimes hexing or hitting anyone that got in their way and tried to stop them. Hermione had to hold him back at times from joining their guards in dispersing the crowd. A woman Hermione recognized as Rita Skeeter, from during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, somehow snuck through the guards at one point and rapidly started firing questions at James before he instinctively pulled back and swung at her, treating her to the same fate that Snape and Malfoy received months ago.

After that display, they stopped by Gringott's and picked up half a dozen security Goblins that moved the crowd a bit easier. They finally reached the public Floo that took them to the station and to another crowd of onlookers. James actively took part in discouraging more reporters, students, and families from pulling him aside, until Hermione shoved him onto the train and told Tonks to take him to the last compartment and not let anyone in.

He pulled the blinds so no one outside could see in and settled himself in a seat where he had a clear shot on the door. After a couple minutes, the door cracked open and he heard Tonks yelling loudly as a familiar blonde slipped in and locked the door. "Hello, it seems that your secret is no longer a secret," Luna smiled as James ignored her and unlocked the door sticking head out to Tonks.

"It's okay, she's a friend," he assured the metamorphagus before closing the door again and sitting across from Luna. "So, how much of this could have been prevented?" he watched her carefully as she pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and started to read it, upside down.

"Knowledge regarding your birth would have come out eventually, the stars just chose the direct approach this time," she shrugged reading her paper. "Bane sends his regards, he looks forward to meeting the man who raised you to be such a warrior," she said calmly.

"Is there anything you don't know?" he rolled his eyes at the young seer.

"Not much, but I still get surprised now and then," she admitted, dropping the aloof attitude that she usually wore at Hogwarts.

**

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"I don't care, he is my godson, and I can assure you, he is perfectly healthy," Sirius argued with several Ministry officials that tried to take James away when the train got to Hogsmeade station. He thanked Max in his own head, the set of falsified documents regarding the health and wellbeing of James was enough to make them back off. "That was fun," he growled as he got into the carriage that James, Hermione, the blonde girl from the train, and a pair of Weasleys were in.

"Have fun out there Sirius?" James smirked at the angry wizard.

"Stuff it James," Sirius frowned.

"So…is it true," Ron asked as the carriage pulled away.

"Yes, wonderful how they chose to release something that is no one's business to the whole damn world," James frowned, staring out the window.

"Do we need to call you Harry, or James…or what?" Ron asked, still confused to the whole situation.

"Harry Potter died with his parents, I'm just James," he looked at the redhead who nodded.

"As long as we win the cup, I'll call you anything short of Malfoy," Ron laughed before he and Sirius got into a long Quiddich conversation, boring the rest of the carriage out of their minds until they arrived at the castle.

**

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**

"Abso-fucking-lutely not," James glared at the head table from his seat beside Hermione who was cringing.

"Language," she reminded him.

"Sorry," he whispered back.

"Language please, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore scolded him. James made a move to go to towards the head table but was stopped by Hermione who put herself between them and Ron who grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Let me go, or I swear to god Ron, I'll put you in the hospital wing so bad you'll have to repeat a year," James struggled as Neville and some other seventh years helped Ron restrain him.

"Sorry mate, but Hermione is scarier than you, most of the time," Ron grunted as he caught an elbow to the head.

"Enough James," Frank came over from his position and helped settle the boy down. After James was back into his seat, still visibly irritated with Dumbledore, Sirius walked up in front of the head table and addressed the crowd.

"Hello, in case you didn't know who I am, the names Sirius Black," he laughed when some younger students gasped. "Yeah, that one, the one that was framed for murder," he gave Dumbledore a rude gesture behind his back. "I'm assigned here as part of the security force under Kingsley Shacklebolt to help protect the lot of you, and more importantly, stop James there from putting you in the hospital wing," he grimaced at Ron's face as Ginny tried to heal it. "In regards to certain articles in certain newspapers, it's all true," he shrugged. "He may have been born with a different name, but make no mistake, that boy is James Castle," he turned and glared at Dumbledore. "He will not be making statements, he will not be examined by medi-witches, and if you know what is good for you, you will call him James," Sirius handed over several stacks of paper, files that Max had falsified, testifying to James' mental health.

"Sirius, surely Mr. Potter…" Dumbledore stopped as Ron swore, taking a shot to the jaw as James had jumped onto the Gryffindor table and had a running start to jump at the head table. His jumping form was intercepted midway as Shacklebolt tackled him to the ground.

"Calm down, I'll handle this," Shacklebolt ordered before he cautiously released the boy and pulled him to his feet. "Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you," he whispered to the boy.

"You know, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing," James winked before lunging at Dumbledore again, stopping when Shacklebolt had wrapped his arms around his legs.

"You done yet?" Shacklebolt asked as he looked up at the boy.

"I guess," James relaxed and helped Shacklebolt to his feet. "I'll say this once, and only once, I may have been born Harry Potter, but he died a long time ago, with my parents," he addressed the crowd. "If you want to talk to me, the name is James Castle," he glared at Dumbledore before turning and storming from the great hall with Tonks following him.

**

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**

"Got the act down pretty well, do ya?" Tonks commented as she followed James into the Gryffindor common room.

"What can I say, the act is half the fun," James shrugged. "I figure if they all think I'm a little crazy they won't mess with me too much," he commented as he started a fire in the fireplace with his wand.

"Oh, just acting now are you?" she teased as he shook his head at her. "Don't," she glared at him immediately.

"Don't what? Nym-pha-dora," he taunted her.

**

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**

"And remember what I said!" Hermione said loudly to the crowd of Gryffindors that she led into the common room. "James!" she screamed at her boyfriend, seeing the destroyed furniture and him somehow pinning Tonks to the ceiling with a spell. "Put her down now!" she glared at him.

He shrugged, and moved his wand away from Tonks, making her fall to the ground with an undignified shriek. "Thanks a lot Hermione," Tonks groaned after getting herself off the floor, checking for injuries. "That's gonna leave a mark," she grimaced as she felt over her backside.

"James!" Hermione glared at him.

"I kinda goaded him into it Hermione," Tonks blushed. "He did pretty well," she laughed as James shrugged.

"Besides, she has a wolf to kiss it and make it better," James joked before he found himself on the ceiling, courtesy of Tonks and Hermione.

**

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**

"James, please, I'm begging you," Ron pulled James aside before the boy could enter the Potions classroom. "Please, please, please, don't get yourself kicked off the Quiddich team in there today," Ron begged him.

"Don't worry Ron, me and Snape can play nice, well at least for one day," James laughed, entering the Potions classroom, leaving Ron behind.

James settled into his seat next to his partner, Ernie MacMillan, the only Hufflepuff seventh year that was taking advanced potions. "Time for the circus to start then eh," James relaxed, opening his book next to the Huflepuff.

"What Justin said, still stands," his normally quiet partner replied. "We want to help him James," the Puff looked at his partner.

"Don't worry about it, if he needs help, you'll hear," James assured him, having been pressured by numerous Puffs to let them 'help' Frank. "You'll get your chance," he snorted as Snape entered the room, obviously in a bad mood.

"Well, it seems your newfound celebrity is distracting you from your studies, Mr. Castle, or would you prefer I call you Potter?" Snape glared at the boy.

"You can call me whatever you want Professor Snape, or would you prefer I call you a greasy haired son of a bitch?" James smirked at him. "See, I can play the insult game too," he laughed as Snape glared at him.

"Detention tonight, Potter," Snape stared daggers at the boy.

"Nothing doing, hook nosed bastard," James spat back, glancing down at his forearm, tracing a shape on it. "If we're gonna keep up this name calling, I have a few doozies up my sleeve Professor," he relaxed as Snape turned around and spelled the board to list the instructions for today's potion.

"Get to work, all of you," Snape growled, sitting at his desk and ignoring the students.

"You're insane," Ernie commented quietly as he and James worked on their potion.

"Just needed to take him down a notch," James commented as he pulled his wand out. "Act natural," he muttered as he waved his wand at the board from the other side of the cauldron, out of sight of Snape.

"What did you do?" Ernie asked as he looked over the changes that were made to the board. "What does that do?" he frowned as James motioned for him to keep working.

"Just follow our brilliant Professor's instructions Ernie, I'm sure he knows what he's doing," James smiled as the two of them continued working. At the end of class, the students had all bottled their samples and given them to Snape. James checked his watch and winked at Ernie as Malfoy shouted something from the back of the room.

"Professor Snape!" Draco yelled as his cauldron began to steam and glow white hot.

The students all ran away from their desks to the front of the room as all of the cauldrons started glowing and steaming like Malfoy's had. Snape rushed to the closest cauldron and attempted to stop the process, but found his wand to have no effect on the contents. "Outside, now!" he ordered the students as the room continued to fill with fumes and smoke. He slammed the door behind them, keeping the vapors inside the Potions classroom. "What did you pathetic excuses for students do!?" he screamed at them.

"We just followed the instructions on your blackboard Professor," a pale Ravenclaw shook his head.

"Go to your next classes, now," Snape glared, creating a bubblehead charm and going back into the room.

The Syltherin students went away quickly, leaving James and Ernie with a handful of Ravenclaws. "So, thermite?" Terry Boot asked James who just shrugged. "Nice touch," he laughed as he went off with the rest of his house mates.

**

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"And then the cauldrons started glowing from being so hot, and something inside them ate through them, the tables, the floor, and part of the water pipes sending water to the Slytherin dorms!" James laughed at dinner as he heard Ernie telling his story.

"James, please tell me you didn't have anything to do with that," Hermione chewed at her salad, knowing from secondhand accounts what had happened in the Potions classroom.

"I didn't have anything to do with that," James deadpanned, before biting into his chicken. "He probably thinks I did, but no proof there was anything done, besides Snape putting up some incorrect directions on the board for us," he shrugged.

"And you being as brilliant as you are, didn't feel the need tell him the error, instead let the Potions lab, and everything twenty feet underneath it?" Hermione glared at him.

"I know not to question my Professors Hermione, maybe I figured Snape wanted some remodeling done," James laughed as he watched Dumbledore walk over to their table.

"Mr. Castle, I require your presence in my office after dinner, to discuss certain events today in the Potions lab," Dumbledore examined the boy who nodded. "Please do not be late," he added before going back to the head table to finish his own dinner.

**

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**

"I do not recall asking you to bring one of your guards, Mr. Castle," Dumbledore sighed as James and Sirius entered his office where he was waiting with Snape.

"Well, you know how those students are, all wanted to get a good look at and annoy James here," Sirius laughed, mostly at the story James told him about the prank. "I figured its best that I go with him, rather than he end up putting some more students in the hospital wing," Sirius relaxed. "Besides, he is my godson, and he wanted me here for support," he snorted as James raised an eye at him.

"Fine, let us begin," Dumbledore removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "James, Professor Snape seems to think that you had some hand in the destruction of his Potions classroom," Dumbledore explained carefully.

"The boy added something to the cauldrons that reacted with the pepper-up potions the class was making, I will find out what it was," Snape glared at the boy.

"Severus, please," Dumbledore settled his professor. "Did you add anything to the cauldrons, or alter the ingredients in any way James?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he locked his gaze with James.

"Don't go poking around where you aren't wanted, Headmaster," James glared before breaking eye contact.

"Dumbledore, I swear to god, if you try to read his mind again," Sirius threatened, pulling his wand on the Headmaster.

"Don't even think of it Black," Snape pulled his own wand on Sirius.

"Don't move, you fucking Death Eater," James stood, pulling his own wand on Snape.

"Gentlemen please, wands down," Dumbledore tried to calm them down. "Severus, please, lower your wand," Dumbledore ordered his teacher.

Snape lowered his wand to his side, followed by Sirius and James doing the same. "Stay out of my head, or else," James glared at Dumbledore.

"My apologies, it is a bit of a habit of mine," Dumbledore apologized.

"Like hell it is, Legilmancy is a conscious process," James swore at him. "And for the record, I did nothing to the cauldrons or the ingredients, I swear on my magic," he waved his wand as the oath took effect. "The greasy moron had some bad directions on the board for the class, the process he had us use employed aluminum and iron oxide as catalysts," James glared at the teacher. "In the next to last bit of the process we added some magnesium to speed the potion's settling," James stopped, expecting one of them to get it. "Thermite reaction, never read Muggle literature?" he snorted at Snape.

"James, if you knew about the error, you should have told Professor Snape, you caused a lot of damage to the school by your inaction," Dumbledore lectured.

"He wouldn't believe me if we were outside, dripping wet, and I told him it was raining," James replied sarcastically. "He has made his dislike of me quite clear, especially after learning of my parentage," James smirked as Dumbledore glared at the professor.

"How did you know about my Mark?" Snape glared at the boy.

"Its common knowledge if you read the old newspapers from the first war," James laughed. "You're just lucky the other students don't read as much as I do, they might not respect you if they knew about your spying in the past," James stared at Snape.

"I am going to have you thrown off the Quiddich team, expelled, and make you pay for the damage to my lab!" Snape yelled at him.

"Enough Severus, we will examine your lab, noting the directions on the board, and see if this is a result of your own errors," Dumbledore frowned at the professor. "You may go now James, Sirius," Dumbledore nodded as the two left the office quickly.

"Think he bought it?" Sirius chuckled as he walked James to the Gryffindor tower.

"Dumbledore? Maybe," James mused. "The greaseball definitely knows it was me, but he can't prove it," James laughed as he walked with Sirius. "When will you have me the information I wanted?" he asked as he and Sirius clung to a set of stairs that swung around so they could go up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Goblins will have me the information Friday, then I'll double check it, so we should be good to set up surveillance and move in a few weeks," Sirius said quietly.

"Good," James smiled as he left Sirius and entered the common room.

**A/N: Yup, another chapter. Think I did the science justice, if not, just pretend I did. Little hint for people as to what the Cap. America story will be like…you'll never guess it, it's coming way out of right field. The Iron Man one, you might be able to take a stab at. In regards to pairings, there is one in the Cap. one, but it will not be apparent for a while, and the Iron Man one…might give away plot, so you get no names. But no Harry/Hermione, I like to write different pairings when I can.**


	18. Chapter 17: Black and Blue

**James Castle**

**Chapter 17: Black and Blue**

Tonks was bored. She was on guard duty for Hermione that night and had come into her Head Girl room after Hermione had invited her. She had since then been lightly dozing in a chair by the fireplace as Hermione concentrated on her homework. She jerked awake after she let loose a snore that woke her up. "Har har," she grumbled as Hermione laughed at her. "Aren't you bored?" she asked as the Head Girl put her book away and took the other chair by her fireplace.

"A little, but I need to stay busy," Hermione admitted, playing with a throw pillow uncomfortably. "It helps me not thing about it," she sighed, looking at the fire.

Tonks nodded, realizing what she meant. James had gone off earlier that night after he ditched the Quiddich celebration, off on a mission.

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Sirius winced as he watched the Quiddich match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. "I think we should talk to him about this," he poked Remus in the side as they watched James score another goal. The game was going very close to script as the Syltherin game had; James had scored the first five goals against the Hufflepuffs who seemed scared to stop him after he ran them over in the first minute. He watched as James flew over to Ron and yelled something at him. The redhead quickly called a timeout and called his whole team, besides James huddle around him.

"What the hell is he doing?" Sirius asked as Remus cocked his head, trying to use his enhanced senses to listen to James who was nose to nose with the Hufflepuff captain. "He's the best player out there, he's destroying them, why'd he call a timeout?" Sirius frowned.

"He's angry at them, said they aren't even trying," Remus winced as James pushed the captain in the chest and flew off before Madam Hooch could penalize him. "Yeah, it seems they're scared that he'll hurt them like he did the Syltherin team last game," Remus nodded. "James told them to come at him with everything, or he would put them all in the hospital wing," Remus repeated as Sirius chuckled.

"A bit overconfident, isn't he, I know he's good and all, but…" Sirius stopped when Remus snorted. "What? You can't be telling me what Ron told us about the first game was true, that kid exaggerates more than…" Sirius stopped as the game started again and James ran over one of the opposing Chasers, nearly knocking him off his broom. James seemed furious at the other team, ignoring trying to score goals, using his physical advantage to wear down every member of their team. After the other two Chasers had run the score up to 100-0, Hufflepuff called their time out and gathered again. "What're they saying?" Sirius asked.

"They're agreeing they have to go after James, like he told them to, no more playing nice and pulling punches," Remus smiled. "He'd want a fair match, not like how they almost ran from him on those first two goals," he chuckled.

"Ron wasn't exaggerating, was he?" Sirius watched as the match resumed and James was constantly dodging Bludgers and the opposing players, smiling for the first time in the match.

"No Padfoot, he wasn't," Remus sighed in relief when James knocked a Puff of his broom, but the cushioning charms on the turf broke his fall. "Hooch and Dumbledore increased the power of the cushioning charms on the pitch after the Slytherin match when James sent a dozen Slytherins to the hospital wing in half an hour. Ron was understating James' Quiddich play, if anything," Remus winced as James was cracked in the back of the head with a Bludger, but only paused to shake his head a moment and gather his bearings.

"Tough little bugger isn't he?" Sirius laughed as James quickly stole the Quaffle and scored a goal, giving the Beater that shot the Bludger a pat on the back as he flew by.

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"This is not a good idea," Frank glared at James who was wrapping his midsection in medical tape. Madam Pomfrey had gone to attend the other injured and exhausted players from the game. "You were out there for three hours, it's the first weekend in February in Scotland, it was not good weather out there," Frank helped him wrap the sore ribs.

"Can't help it when the damn Snitch decided to hide for so long," James coughed and shivered a little. "Besides, this is as good a chance we're gonna get," he winced slightly as he got up from his hospital bed. "I need on my side with this Frank," James said quietly as he pulled a fresh shirt and his 'special' robes on.

"Go, I'll tell her you went to go get doctored up by Hermione," he jerked his head at the door. "Which is where I better find you tomorrow morning," Frank grasped his hand, pulling him into a quick hug. "Get going," he ordered, releasing the boy, going to intercept the Healer that was shooting a death glare at him.

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"He shouldn't have gone out tonight, not after the game and all that," Hermione frowned, strangling the pillow. "He's hurt and sick, he should be here resting," she threw the pillow at the wall, glaring at the fireplace.

"Don't worry about him Hermione, he knows what he's doing," Tonks tried to comfort the girl who angrily got to her feet and went back to her homework. "Back to being bored…" she sighed deeply, counting cracks on the ceiling.

Hermione awoke a few hours later as she heard something land on the ground in front of her with a thump. "Whuzzat?!" Tonks shouted as she jerked awake from her nap on her chair before noticing the figure on the carpet in front of the fireplace. "Oh shite!" she swore, using her wand to send a message to Shack.

Hermione's eyes opened wide as she saw James recovering from changing back from his Animagus form of a bat. She dove to the carpet as he finished, wrapping him in a hug. She let go as she heard Tonks swear and finally got a good look at James. "Oh James," she cried and started tearing bits of her shirt off to bandage the wounds.

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"So Shacklebolt, a bit of a step back for you isn't this? Guarding a school full of kids, rather than hunting down dangerous wizards," Moody commented as he and Kingsley sat in his quarters that night sharing a drink of Firewhisky.

"I prefer to think of it as a step up, at least no one is trying to kill me in this school, not like bloody Fudge," Kingsley swore, taking a drink. "And we're here to keep James safe more than anything else, I'm sure Dumbledore told you that at the last Order meeting," Kingsley stared at the older wizard.

"The meetings that you, Tonks, Black, and Lupin stopped attending when the news about the boy came out," Moody countered.

"We were busy watching the boy, we were attacked over Christmas when on holiday with Hermione's parents," Kingsley repeated, knowing Dumbledore already shared the edited version of the attack with the Order. "Why'd you ask me down here Moody?" he cut straight to the chase.

"I may be paranoid, but I am not stupid, that boy knows more about what Frank Castle is doing than he is letting on," Moody slammed his drink down. "I don't know how he beat the Veritaserum, but I'm not stupid, and Dumbledore will figure this out on his own," he glared at Kingsley. "Has he told you the truth about what the Punisher is doing and his knowledge of it?" his eye whirled as he asked the question.

"Yes he has Alastor," Kingsley stopped when a silver wolf patronus burst through the door. "Tonks?" he frowned immediately.

"Need you up here Shack, now! Bring a field kit!" Tonks' voice came from the patronus before it faded away.

"I must go Alastor, something has happened," Kingsley frowned at the potential mess they were in.

"I'm sure it has, I'll be interested in hearing what exactly it was after you have dealt with it Kingsley," Moody got up from his chair and grabbed a bag from his open closet. "Here, your room is out of the way, I assume you are going to the Gryffindor tower," he commented, tossing the standard Auror field kit over.

"Moody," Kingsley frowned as the man waved him off.

"Explain later, get going now, I'll wait up," Moody hobbled over to his favorite chair by his own fireplace and ran through scenarios in his mind as to what actually happened and what he would be told happened as Kingsley quickly shut the door behind him.

**

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James watched from under his invisibility cloak, frowning as things kept deviating from the plan that he had built from the information Sirius and the other had got him. The original plan had been to sneak into and set Fiendfyre bombs in half a dozen different businesses in Knockturn Alley that were owned by Voldemort supporters. Things had gone according to the plan for the first two stores, the Potions supply shop had been closed as usual on Saturdays. The second shop was a clothing shop, specializing in dueling attire, closed as well for the day.

James swore in his mind as he followed the woman he was trailing into his next target store, Borgin and Burkes. He ducked off to the side carefully as the owner of the store locked the door, closed the blinds, and turned the store's sign to closed. The man ushered the woman towards the back of the store, closing the door behind them. He snuck next to the door and pulled out a small Muggle listening device from his Punisher robes, pressing it to the door.

"Why did you want to talk to me Delores?" he heard the owner ask the woman he realized was Umbridge from the stories Ron, Hermione, and the others told him.

"It is common knowledge who you support in this war Mr. Borgin, the Minister has an offer for you to pass along to your master," Umbridge explained as James pulled out a tape recorder and listened intently.

"I'm listening," Borgin replied.

"Minister Fudge would be willing to entertain peace talks with the Dark Lord to end this war," Umbridge told him.

"I'm not stupid, what would be the Minister's conditions, so that I may pass the word along," he asked her.

"The Minister is willing to give him a seat on the Wizengamot, and the Hogwarts Board of Directors, as well as various land parcels throughout England and Scotland, this is the list," James heard her talk and pass something to the man. "In return all Death Eaters will be pardoned and released and all attacks on half-blood and pureblood will cease immediately," she continued.

"What of the Muggles and mudbloods?" Borgin asked.

"What about them?" she laughed. "What are you doing?" she squeaked in a terrified voice.

"Oh, you didn't think we'd have this meeting alone, did you? I believe you know my associates, Rodolphus and Rabastan LeStrange," James sighed, pocketing his devices, pulling out his pistols and squaring himself against the door.

"Crucio!" James winced as he heard the woman scream on the other side of the door under the spell. He pulled off his invisibility cloak and quickly set the guns to reducto-mode.

"Another day in paradise," he tucked the cloak away and opened fire on the door. "Howdy," he nodded at the surprised wizards. "Tell your wife I send my regards when you see her," he taunted before firing at the two of them. The one on the right was the quicker of the two and immediately levitated Umbridge to take the shots, spraying blood all over the room as they returned fire.

"Kill him!" Borgin shouted as the three dark wizards let loose spells that tore apart the walls and the store behind James who had ducked to the side to avoid their spells. James ducked behind the store's counter and kept firing back as the three dark wizards spread out into the room, trying to surround him.

"I'm going to gut you for what you did to my wife Castle!" he heard one of them yell, pointing a gun and firing a couple shots at the area of the sound without sticking his head out. "You're outnumbered three to one, give up and I swear it will be a quick death," Rodolphus shouted.

"Sure you will, catch," James laughed, tossing a pair of grenades in the general direction of the wizards as he heard them put up shielding charms before the explosions. "That kill any of you?" he shouted over the counter, counting three green blasts of light go over his head. "Guess not," he muttered, trying to think of a plan. His thoughts were interrupted by another explosion, this one being the front door exploding inward as a squad of four Aurors busted into the shop, taking cover.

"Throw down your wands and lay down on the ground!" the lead Auror shouted. "Where's Umbridge?" he demanded from the dark wizards.

"Dead, it wasn't from us though," Rabastan yelled back.

"Oh come on, you used her as a shield after you hit her with a Crucio," James spat as he popped to his full height and fired a few shots at the dark wizards before dodging one spell from the Aurors and taking a full hit from a slicing curse from another Auror in the arm, dropping to the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you, there's a pair of Azkaban escapees right there and you shoot spells at me?" James screamed at them, inspecting his coat. "Can't take much more of that," he frowned, the spells from his missions so far having pushed his armor to its limit. "Christ, it got through," he frowned as he pulled his hand away from the sleeve, feeling the blood on his hand.

"You're all wanted with orders to kill on sight!" one of the Aurors shouted back before there was a sound of his body falling to the ground.

"Jackson!" James heard one of the other Aurors call out, figuring the first Auror was dead. He jumped up firing at the Death Eaters, trying to give the Aurors some cover, ducking down again as the Aurors and the Death Eaters all concentrated their fire on him, taking a couple bludgeoning and slicing hexes before dropping to the floor.

"Are you out of your damn minds?" he shouted as he dug some potions out of his coat and quickly chugged them down. He rolled on pain for a minute as the pepper up potions took effect and pulled his wand, quietly bandaging his wands. "You Aurors fire on me again and I'll treat you like the damn Death Eaters!" he threatened as he felt a couple more spells impact the counter he was behind.

"You're a murderer, just like them!" the lead Auror responded.

"Yeah, and I'm the one not trying to you!" James responded, swearing as he pulled his last grenade from his pocket and chucked it at the LeStranges. He peeked around after he heard the explosion, seeing only two spells coming back at him. "That kill one of them?" he shouted to the others.

"I think it was Borgin, he's not moving," one of the Aurors replied before more spells were shot at the Death Eaters.

"Thanks for the heads up," James shouted back as he heard the team leader yelling at the Auror. "You do realize, we outnumber them four to two now, we can take them out then you can deal with me afterwards," James pointed out as more spells were shot at him from all directions. "Great," he grumbled, taking stock of his injuries, trying to slow the flow of blood and wrap his injured ribs tighter.

He took care of his injuries as the Aurors and Death Eaters exchanged a few more spells and he heard another Auror hit the ground from the Avada Kedavra. "We're gonna be at this all day if we don't work together," he screamed at the remaining Aurors as he took aim and kept fire on the Death Eaters.

"Crucio!" he heard the spell but could not get out of the way in time, seeing the spell coming for him.

James screamed as he dropped to his knees and the spell washed over him reopening all the wounds that he had closed and making him feel every injury he had experienced already today. He rolled to his side, coughing and ejecting the blood that had pooled in his mouth as the Death Eater had to release the curse to defend himself from the Aurors.

"You okay?" he heard the Auror who had talked to him earlier yell over.

"Yeah, that your boss that got it?" James shouted back after gathering his bearings.

"Yes, just two of us left on this side," the Auror replied before some more spells impacted their side of the room and he had to duck for cover. "Make that one," the Auror shouted back, rolling over the lifeless body of his companion.

"Wonderful," James grunted as he bled out. "I'm not gonna make it much longer, we need to finish this quick, what's your name?" James asked as he snuck a glance at the Death Eaters, spotting their positions quickly before hiding again.

"Oliver Wood, we've met, in the book store," Wood replied.

"Ah, didn't know you were an Auror," James winced as he pulled a chunk of shrapnel from his side. "That is gonna leave a mark," he frowned as he applied some bandages to the area.

"I wasn't, I quit my job and joined the Aurors after you saved my family from LeStrange," Wood shouted back, shooting a spell at the Death Eaters.

"Ah, what did you do before?" James asked, trying to keep his mind off the pain as he prepared himself for one last rush.

"Was the backup Keeper for Puddlemore," Wood shouted back, steadying himself. "Want the one on the right or the one on the left?" Wood shouted back across.

"I'll take the one on the right," James got to his knees, gathering his strength. "Gryffindor, weren't you?" James asked as he planned his attack.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Wood asked, rubbing his wedding band.

"Had a feeling," James replied. "We go on three, and by god, I hope you know your Quiddich," James sighed, preparing himself. "Ready? One!" he shouted along with Wood as they both ignored the count and got to their feet and fired where the Death Eaters were hiding.

The LeStrange brothers moved fast as they realized their opponents were tricking them, diving away from their positions as Wood and James fired at them with all they had. James trailed his target as he took aim, finally squeezing a shot off with the gun he left on bullet mode, nailing one brother between the eyes.

"Avada Kedavra!" James instinctively dropped to the ground when he heard the words, dropping right below the green spell that the surviving brother had thrown at him.

"Avada Kedavra!" he heard Wood's voice ring out as he took advantage of the Death Eater's eagerness to kill James, dropping the last surviving LeStrange with a thud. James shuddered on the ground, listening for movement. "You alive?" he heard Wood ask.

"Nah, you?" James turned to his side and coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Stone cold," James heard him stumble over, getting to his own feet, resting most of his weight on what was left of the counter.

James grunted, grabbing onto the counter with his hand, wincing as Wood pulled him up the rest of the way. "You gonna arrest me?" James asked, his free hand brushing one of his guns.

"Too tired and hurt," the Auror replied. "You gonna kill me?" he glanced at the gun James was touching.

"I'm a bit tired of death today," James relaxed, nearly collapsing. "I need to get out of here, I'm assuming you Aurors had this all set up as a sting to catch Borgin?" James asked before pulling a few vials from his pockets and swallowing the contents.

"No, we were alerted to come here when an Unforgivable was detected being cast on Umbridge, all higher ups in the Ministry had tracking charms placed on them to keep track," Wood explained.

"Wonderful," James sighed, pulling the recording he made earlier out of a pocket. "Find a Muggle tape player, you'll want to hear this and get it to the right people," his knees gave out for a moment as he handed it over to Wood. "But right now, we need to get out of here," James summoned up what was left of his strength and grabbed Wood by the arm, leading them to what was left of the door.

"Accio your team, quickly," James ordered as he angrily threw a package at the LeStranges, smiling when he heard the squishing. "Got them all?" he asked as Wood nodded at the three bodies.

"What was that you threw in there?" Wood asked.

"Just a little toy, sorry about this by the way, can't be letting you in on all my secrets," James laughed as he palmed his wand and quickly stunned the Auror. He used his wand and quickly moved Wood and the dead Aurors across to the other side of the alley before pulling a device from his coat. "Boom," he whispered as he pressed the single button and transformed to fly off.

James blinked his eyes, shaking himself awake, noting the lack of agony he was expecting. He felt the warm shape beside him, knowing immediately who it was. "Hermione," he whispered, shaking her a little. "Hermione, wake up," he said a little louder as he struggled to stay awake.

"James," she whispered as she woke up. "I'm so sorry, we did all we could, but you're going to be hurting for a while," she cried as she held onto him. "You were bleeding so much when you came back," she sniffed as James hugged her back and pulled her head up beside his.

"I came back though," James whispered in her ear before falling asleep again.

**

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**

"Have a fun night there Kingsley?" Moody asked as Kingsley took the other chair near the fireplace.

"It was enlightening," Kingsley took the drink Moody offered him. "How long have you suspected?" he asked the veteran Auror.

"Since I saw the Punisher dropping off Bellatrix LeStrange at the castle gates," Moody downed his whole glass. "What happened?"

"Mission went bad, he was supposed to be knocking out businesses of Death Eaters," Kingsley explained. "At Borgin and Burkes, there were some Death Eaters, as far as I can tell, somehow the Aurors got wind and attacked. The only ones that made it out were him and Oliver Wood, a green recruit," he frowned. "Then he knocked Wood out and detonated Fiendfyre bombs in the stores, destroying the buildings and making the Unspeakables work overtime to contain the fires," Kingsley stopped as the old Auror laughed.

"Boy has some guts," Moody laughed. "He gonna be okay?" Moody asked as he noticed Kingsley vanishing some traces of blood from his robes.

"I hope so, he took a Crucio and god knows how many severing and bludgeoning hexes," Kingsley frowned. "I don't know how he even made it back here, he should be dead," Kingsley admitted.

"Sign of a good Auror, coming back when there is no reason you should be alive," Moody stomped his peg leg in laughter, planning his next DADA class in his head.

**A/N: I know he gave Hermione one of the pistols, doesn't mean he can't make more. Also, I don't think I killed R+R off earlier in Malfoy's place. At least if I did, I can't find it when skimming over.**


	19. Chapter 18: Unforgivables

**A/N: Thought I added lines between scenes a few chapters ago, but it appears when uploading and posting removes them, sorry for the confusion between scenes and all, gonna try something different in this one. Also, typing with a bandaged hand because my stupid self burned the three fingertip areas pretty bad when pulling a pan out of the oven, so bear with me.**

**James Castle**

**Chapter 18: Unforgivables**

"James, you need to get up, it's time for class," Hermione shook the boy awake. "Get up," she continued as he rolled over facing away from her.

"Dun wanna, still hurt," he groaned into his pillow. He had been locked up in Hermione's room ever since he got back from Knockturn Saturday after the Quiddich game, Hermione was playing the idea that he got hurt a lot more than he let on in the Quiddich match, but that he refused to go to the hospital wing. They had got Tonks and the others to back Hermione up, so there were very little questions asked.

"You have to James, otherwise Dumbledore is going to have me take you to the hospital wing," Hermione sighed before pulling the blankets off the bed. "C'mon, go take your shower, then I'll rewrap your bandages," Hermione frowned as James limped over to the shower and closed the door behind him. She was laying out the bandages, potions, and salves she needed when she heard the water turn off and the door open back up.

"Where are my clothes?" he asked as he sat down on the bed, only wearing the fluffy pink towel from Hermione's bathroom.

"Sirius went to grab you a fresh set, now drink your potions and quit squirming," she scolded as she wrapped his black and blue torso, applying the healing salve from the Auror kit on the many cuts and gashes he had sustained. "You're not going out there alone again," she carefully wrapped the area where he had removed the shrapnel mid fight. "No arguing," she hit him in the arm before he could open his mouth. She worked quietly, finishing wrapping his arms as someone knocked at the door. "It's open Sirius," she waved her wand at the door.

"Hey there pup," Sirius frowned as he came in, carrying a small bag of clothes. "How's he doing?" he asked Hermione as the two of them turned, allowing James to get dressed.

"I'm right here," James frowned as he pulled his pants on.

"And you'd probably lie, so I'm asking her," Sirius chuckled.

"He really needs a couple more days, the cuts will keep opening up if he moves too much," Hermione frowned. "He's still weak from the Cruciatus exposure and we can't really hide that, if a medi-witch gets a hold of him, they'll know in a minute," Hermione's eyes watered as she explained.

"I'll take it easy Hermione, trust me," James grunted as he tried to finish dressing. "I still think I should take my guns with me," he frowned as Hermione helped him finish dressing.

**

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**

James nearly fell when he got to his seat in the repaired Potions classroom. "Figures, they get the damn thing fixed now," James gripped his side, wishing they were still teaching the class in the Great Hall instead of down in the dungeons. "Damn stairs," he frowned and quickly scourgified a spot of blood on his shirt before downing a pair of potions.

"You don't look too good James," Ernie commented as he sat next to his partner. "Why don't you just go see Madam Pomfrey, she'll fix up whatever you hurt in Quiddich in a flash," Ernie pointed out.

"Hmm, who would I rather have treating me, an old woman, or my eighteen year old girlfriend?" James winced as he laughed. "It's not that bad," he shrugged as Snape entered the classroom.

"Now that we are back in a proper classroom, we can brew our potions safely again," Snape began to lecture and ordered the students to begin brewing. James smirked and chuckled a bit as Snape was watching all the students intently, not willing to risk damaging his lab again. "Something you find amusing Castle?" Snape glared at the boy before inspecting his cauldron.

"No sir, Professor Snape," James said carefully.

"Adequate," Snape snarled before rushing over to Draco's cauldron that was emitting a green smoke. "Stupid child!" Snape screamed at him before vanishing the contents of the cauldron.

James grunted as he left his table with Ernie as the class had mercifully ended, glad Snape had taken to completely ignoring him following his threats and the little conversation with Dumbledore. He stopped to rest against the wall after getting out, as his vision blurred. "James, you really need to go to Madam Pomfrey if you're hurting that bad," Ernie told him and caught him as he nearly fell down.

"I'll be fine, just need Hermione," James reached into his robes, pulling out a pair of potions. He coughed violently before managing to uncork the first and drink it, following it quickly with the second.

"James, how many potions have you been taking?" Ernie questioned him. James ignored him and straightened up, feeling much better, the pepper-up and pain relief potions doing the trick. "Must be some Quiddich injury," Ernie frowned as James shook him off.

"You have no idea," James grunted and started walking up to the Great Hall for lunch.

**

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**

"James, are you sure about this?" Hermione asked as she and James entered the DADA classroom.

"Positive, Shack told us he knows, no idea why he hasn't told Dumbledore yet," James grunted as he took his seat next to Luna, with Hermione on the other side. "How are you doing Luna?" he greeted the seer.

"I am doing well James," Luna smiled as she read her copy of the Quibbler detailing the attack on Knockturn Alley. The Ministry had played it off as the Punisher attacking the three businesses and getting caught in a firefight between the Aurors and Death Eaters, naturally painting the Punisher as a villain and the surviving Auror as a hero. "You look quite tired," she eyed him smiling.

"You know how it is, Hermione keeping me up all weekend," James laughed as Hermione hit him lightly.

"Don't think I won't hit you, no matter how hurt you are," she frowned at him.

"Good afternoon class," Moody said loudly as he stomped into the room. "Today we are going to cover the Unforgivables," Moody grunted and went over brief explanations of what the three of them did. "I'm sure you all know about them and what they do, but that is not what we are going to focus on today," Moody grabbed a piece of parchment from his desk. "Today we are going to learn how to defend against them," he smiled as he pocketed the parchment. "How would you defend yourself from the Imperius curse, Miss Granger?" he looked at Hermione.

"You can fight it off if your mind is strong enough, usually meaning a wizard or witch must be fairly well versed in Occulmancy or have an exceptionally strong magical core," Hermione recited.

"Correct, five points for Gryffindor," Moody nodded. "Miss Lovegood, how would you defend yourself from the Cruciatus curse? And leave out the parts about the creatures in your father's newspaper, please," Moody commented making most of the class chuckle.

"The curse causes all the body's nerve endings to open in pain for as long as the caster can keep his concentration," Luna replied. "The only defense is to wait until the spell is lifted," Luna finished before mumbling something about a kind of fly that was said to help defend against the curse.

"Correct, you either wait until the caster lifts the curse, or fight through the pain," Moody nodded. "Mr. Castle, how about the Killing Curse?" Moody noted Hermione shooting him an evil look.

"Don't get hit, or be me," James glared at the man.

"Very good, we can't go testing you lot on how to defend yourselves from the last one, but we can teach you to defend yourselves from the first two," Moody pulled the paper from his pocket. "This is a Ministry form allowing me to use the Unforgivables on you with your permission, all I need is a signature," he slammed the paper on his desk. "So who wants to learn to defend themselves?" Moody glanced over the room.

No one moved the majority of the students terrified of their professor when he wasn't asking them to let him cast Unforgivables on them. Hermione paled when she watched Moody's eyes sweeping the room before focusing on James. "No," she whispered, grabbing his hand tightly.

"What? You're all afraid, I didn't expect any of you to be strong enough to fight them off, I was hoping I would be surprised though," Moody glared at the boy.

"James, no!" Hermione said loudly as he got to his feet, trying to pull him back down to his seat.

"It's okay Hermione," he forced her to release him, smiling weakly. "I'll give it a go Professor Moody," James walked up and signed the parchment. Hermione glared at him, shaking in her seat until Luna moved over and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry Hermione, he'll be fine," Luna comforted the crying Hermione.

"We'll start with the Imperio, unless you want to back out boy," Moody growled pulling his wand.

"Just make it quick," James clenched his fists, preparing for the attack.

"Imperio!" Moody shouted, casting the spell on James. James stood still as the light washed over him and his eyes lost focus. "Jump up and down boy," Moody commanded. James stood completely still, not reacting to the command. "I said jump up and down boy!" Moody yelled, focusing all of attention on James.

"Let's see how you like it," James' head snapped up locking eyes with Moody. "Imperio!" he shouted back at the teacher. Moody stood deathly still like James had earlier, both men pointing their wands at each other. James finally started coughing violently and lowered his hand to grip his ribs.

"Not bad there Castle, shook mine off and managed to do one of your own," Moody grinned at the boy. "One moment while I alter the form here so you don't get in trouble from the Ministry," the man laughed as James paused to catch his breath. "There, you ready for the next one?" Moody asked as James took a moment to rest his hands on his knees.

"How hard are you going to do it?" he grunted and pushed past Moody so he could be in the open.

"Just hard enough so that Pomfrey has to give you Cruciatus recovery potions, since you obviously need them," Moody whispered under his breath to the boy. "Come to my office once you are well enough to talk in a couple days," he smiled at the boy. "Ready boy?" Moody grunted, acting like the tough old Auror again.

"Yeah, make it quick," James smiled at Hermione as he felt the curse hit him and dropped to the floor in pain immediately.

"James!" she screamed, pushing Luna away and running to her boyfriend who was being helped to sit by Moody. "Stay away from him," she glared at Moody, pulling her own wand on the old man.

"Best not be pulling that if you don't plan to use it girl," Moody glared at her as they helped James to his feet. "Go take him to the hospital wing, tell Madam Pomfrey what I used on him so she can give him the right potions," he ordered Hermione as James shivered in their arms. "Lovegood, help them," he motioned at the blonde girl. "The rest of you lot, I want two feet of parchment on how to avoid and fight the Unforgivables by the end of class, get to work!" he stomped at the remaining students, getting their attention.

**A/N: Okay, think I have the rest of the story planned. I believe there will be 4 more chapters in this story, then I will begin work on the Cap. and Iron Man X-overs. Sometimes I want to write longer and more in depth chapters and all for this story, but overall I'm happy in the way this and the other stories will be, quick reads, good action, good story, fluff where appropriate, and not taking more time to read than the actual books they are based on. Anyway, back to work writing, I might have the story finished this weekend, but will stagger the final chapters over next week.**


	20. Chapter 19: Conference

**James Castle**

**Chapter 19: Conference**

"It is good to see you are well, child of Mars," Bane greeted James as he entered the woods in the early morning light to go take some target practice. "We had worried, the light of your planet was waning until recently," the centaur walked beside the wizard.

"Yeah, well, I was a bit under the weather," James scowled, glad to finally be allowed to continue his training. "Hermione wouldn't let me do anything strenuous until now," James smiled a bit at all the time Hermione had spent doctoring him up.

"The Lady of the Moon described it as being a bit more than a simple sickness," Bane caught the branch that James had released before it could hit him in the face. "She seemed to think you were close to death and discovery, and only through luck and your friends forcing you to rest did you recover," Bane chuckled as the wizard started walking faster.

"Luna talks too much," James glared back at the centaur. "I had a mission that went bad, some Aurors got killed by Death Eaters before I could take them out," James stopped, sitting on a fallen tree to rest. "They were so damn intent on trying to capture the Punisher that they got themselves killed," James stared off into the woods.

"But you stopped the dark wizards?" Bane watched the wizard carefully.

"Yeah, killed them then torched the buildings with Fiendfyre, they were all businesses that supported Voldemort," James nodded.

"But you regret the loss of life of the Aurors, or is there something more?" Bane questioned him.

"Well, I regret most of their deaths," James shrugged. "I interrupted a meeting between one of Fudge's Undersecretaries and a Death Eater. She was offering a truce on behalf of the Minister," James explained as the centaur stiffened. "Voldemort would get land, voting rights at Hogwarts and the Wizengamot, the release of all his Death Eaters, and pardons for them all," James frowned, slamming his fist down on the log he was sitting on.

"What would the Ministry get in return?" Bane replied angrily.

"Voldemort would stop attacking purebloods and halfbloods," James glared at the centaur. "The damn Minister of Magic has so many Death Eaters paying him off and controlling him that he's ready to give up the fight," James sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I can't fight them all alone, but I don't want anyone to get hurt," James scowled and moved off to his firing range, leaving the centaur alone in the woods.

**

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**

"Hello James," Luna smiled as she sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast with James and Hermione.

"Good morning Luna," James nodded as he attacked his food, glad to have his appetite back after nearly a month of forced relaxation and recovery by Hermione, Frank, and the others.

"Luna," Hermione smiled nervously at her friend. "What brings you over here?" she asked, bracing herself for nearly anything.

"Oh, nothing much Hermione," Luna hummed to herself and helped herself to food from their plates. "Oooh, good cantaloupe," she smiled to herself as she ate.

"Luna, cut the act, what's up?" James frowned as she took his last piece of bacon.

"Oh fine, be that way," she pouted, dropping the madwoman act. "Friday at midnight in the centaur village Bane wants you, the elders, and whatever supporters you have here in the Castle to meet and discuss the current situation, get everyone on the same page," Luna frowned as James stole back the bacon as she was talking.

"How are we going to get out there after hours?" Hermione watched James who let a smile creep across his face. "Oh no," she shook her head at him. "No," she said emphatically.

"Fine, you can use the cloak, I'll find my own way," James laughed as Hermione rolled her eyes.

**

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**

"Hey, Malfoy!" James walked behind the Slytherin in the hallway later that day. The boy stopped walking, turning to face James with a sneer.

"What do you want …Castle?" he rubbed his nose where it had been broken before with his free hand while the other grabbed his wand.

"Just wanted to know how your mother is taking it, you know having to whore herself out to make ends meet now that daddy is gone," James watched the boy's face turn red in anger. "I was thinking of looking her up the next Hogsmeade visit, maybe buying her services for Max, or better yet Moody, seeing if it could improve his attitude," James laughed as he knew the ex-Auror in question was across the hall watching the exchange.

"Filthy mudblood!" Draco screamed as he pulled his wand preparing to hex James before he dropped to the ground with another broken nose.

"Second verse, same as the first," James laughed as Moody grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along the hall towards his office shouting about detentions all the way. He roughly pushed James into the room shouting at him all the while before closing and silencing the door behind him.

"What the hell was that all about? Have you lost your damn mind?" Moody glared at the boy.

"Nah, needed to make it believable though," James laughed at Moody's scowl. "Come on, I'm not dumb enough to go do that for no reason," he grinned. "Detention in the Forbidden Forest with you Friday night seems fitting, don't you think?" he laughed and explained the meeting to Moody.

**

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**

"I swear to god Sirius, if you run into me one more time," Tonks threatened her cousin in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.

"I can't help it," Sirius chuckled. "I can see fine as Padfoot, but you kept yelling at me then too," he complained as he kicked a root.

"Because you kept jumping up on me licking me!" she yelled at him.

"Awww, only Remus allowed to do that?" Sirius laughed before turning into his dog form and running off into the woods.

"Children, I will turn this car around if I have to," James shook his head as he led Hermione, Moody, and the whole security team through the woods in near pitch black darkness. "And before you complain again Tonks, no we cannot use magic, someone in the castle might see it," he cut her off before she could talk, smirking as she listened to her complain to Remus.

"Be nice," Hermione scolded him, having used his Invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map to sneak out of the castle after dinner. "Any idea what exactly they're planning on talking about with us?" she questioned him as he helped her avoid a root.

"Nope, but I bet it will annoy me to no end," he frowned as he pushed a branch aside. He looked ahead in the woods, seeing Frank on point with Moody, the Auror being able to see thanks to his artificial eye, Frank due to the night vision goggles that James wore an identical pair of.

"And why exactly aren't we just duplicating the goggles so we don't have to hear them complaining?" Hermione held his hand tight as he led her through the dark.

"Because it's funnier watching them get mad," James smiled as he watched Frank stop ahead of them, the two of them shooting hand signals at each other. "Not much further now, come on," he laughed as he heard Tonks fall over again.

**

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**

"I hate you," Tonks glared at James as they sat around the ceremonial fire in the centaur village, drinking from mugs of spiced mead the centaurs brought them.

"Come on Nym, it was funny," Remus laughed as she glared at him too.

"I hate you too," she frowned, going back to her drink. "Stupid werewolf senses, seeing in the damn dark," she grumbled about how James had produced several more sets of the night vision goggles when they reached the village.

"You need to work on your stealth girl," Moody glared at her. "You sounded like a bloody herd of Hippogriffs out there, I trained you to be better than that," Moody frowned, continuing to test his drink with his wand before taking a small drink from it.

"Yeah, you did such a good job that they forced you into retirement afterwards," Tonks made her face look like Moody, glaring back at him.

"They forced me into early retirement because I called Fudge a moron," Moody grumbled, finally feeling comfortable enough to drink from the mug normally.

"We sure this is safe here James?" Frank asked nervously, eyeing the tree line, keeping his assault rifle handy. "If some wizards happens across us, we are sunk," he jerked his head at a noise in the woods.

"Take it easy Frank, Bane told me they were sending patrols back out after we got here, I trust them," James settled Frank down, taking a drink from his own mug. "Whoa…bit strong there," he coughed after he swallowed the drink.

"I would exercise moderation with your drinks my friends, they are made for centaurs, so may be a bit strong for a wizard," Bane cautioned as he came to the fire with a graying centaur and a smaller figure. "This is our herd's elder Magorian, and you know the Lady of the Moon and her friend," he bowed and stepped back allowing Luna to take a seat on the other side of James.

"Elder Magorian," James bowed his head to the centaur before turning to Luna and looking away quickly. "I swear to god Luna, if that is what I think it is…" he sighed as he drank down the rest of his drink quickly as Hermione laughed beside him.

"James, is that the Sorting Hat on her head?" Sirius stared at the girl like she had grown a second head. "How did she get the Sorting Hat out here?" he questioned ignoring James motioning for him to shut up and Hermione rolling off their log onto the ground in laughter.

"Oh, this is Mr. Hat, he's my friend," Luna smiled beneath the floppy piece of leather. "We talk all the time, he has some interesting stories about you Mr. Black," Luna hummed as Sirius and the others just stared at her.

"Close your mouths, you'll catch flies," the hat moved slightly as it spoke.

"But…that's the Sorting Hat…" Tonks furrowed her brow, whispering to Remus. "How did she…?" Tonks frowned, seeing James starting his second mug and decided to follow suit.

"Please, do not ask her about the damn hat," James shook his head. "You'll be here all night and won't make any progress, believe me, we've tried," he frowned at the offending piece of clothing.

"Miss Granger seemed amused by our conversations, Mr. Potter," the hat rotated on Luna's head and spoke to him.

Hermione busted out laughing at her boyfriend, fighting with a hat. "Okay, enough of that for you," James scolded her, taking her mug from her before she started hitting him to give it back. "Fine, have it your way, just don't get so drunk I have to carry you back," he gave up, giving her the mug back. "Enough about the hat, can we get on to business please Elder Magorian?" he begged.

"As you wish, Child of Mars," the older centaur bowed to him. "We called for this meeting to get all the involved parties working together," he paced around the fire as he spoke. "From what Bane has gathered in his dealings with both Castles and the hounds," he gestured at Remus and Sirius who were laughing at their names. "Things are going badly out there," he continued staring up at the sky. "The stars have been odd lately, not showing any definite signs of the future, the world is in a time of flux and danger," he commented out loud.

"When Elder Magorian asked me what I could see, I explained to him the conflict with the Death Eaters and suggested that we all meet to finally get on the same proverbial page," Luna picked up when the centaur stopped talking.

"You all have information that the others need, and none of you are exactly forthcoming with your secrets," the hat added.

"And getting us all drunk together seemed like the best idea?" James shook his head at the hat.

"It seemed like the best option to Mr. Hat and I," Luna smiled and poured James and Hermione a fresh drink each. "Now, who want to share?" she smiled dreamily, mumbling to herself and the hat.

"We centaurs have noticed an increase in the activity of dark creatures such as vampires, dementors, werewolves, present company excluded, and the like for the last week," Magorian explained. "We fear an attack on Hogwarts itself is imminent, the stars seem to agree with us," he mused as he looked to the night sky.

"My visions too, they are filled with fighting and death," Luna said seriously. "Bad things are coming to Hogwarts, sooner rather than later," she frowned, poking at the fire with a stick. "Even I can't see how it is going to turn out, there are too many variables," she bit her lip throwing the stick into the fire. "What I did see, is that if we don't work together and make him stop being an idiot, all is lost," she pointed at James.

"For the last damn time, if the mission had gone to plan everything would have been fine," James glared at the others before Hermione pulled him close and calmed him down. "I stand by what I said," he frowned as she held him down and Sirius made a whip cracking sound.

"And you need to realize pup, that you have four ex-Aurors at your disposal," Sirius smirked at him. "What?" he feigned shock when everyone counted the people present. "I was an Auror you know," he waved his wand emphatically. "Back me up here Moody," he begged the older man.

"You were about to graduate to academy, you were not an Auror yet," Moody glared at him. "You went and got yourself thrown in Azkaban for going after Pettigrew like a fool," he frowned, taking a long drink from his mug.

"Little rat bastard got what was coming to him," James smirked, raising his mug to Remus and Sirius. "Speaking of which, how long did you know?" he asked Moody.

"How long did I know you were more than your cover story?" Moody laughed at the boy. "Once I saw 'The Punisher' bring in LeStrange and recognized the gun," the man nodded at the fire. "I still don't know how you beat the Veritaserum and Oaths," he grumbled, taking a drink.

"Go ahead," James laughed as Hermione raised her hand by reflex. She pulled it down as everyone got a good laugh before sticking her tongue out at James.

"It's a combination of a few different things," Hermione lectured to Moody as the others took to seeing who could drink more during the explanation. "His Occulmancy, his bad childhood, and his training by Frank, they all worked together to create the separate parts in his mind," she kept explaining as Shacklebolt had to catch Sirius as he drained the last of his mug. "What he has now, is three parts, all separated by walls and Occulmancy shields in his mindscape," she happily explained as James rolled his eyes and Frank smirked.

"The smallest part he was born as, the part that was Harry Potter. The second is the part that took over, following the abuse and hellish childhood he got from those damned relatives," she kicked clumsily at the fire as James held her back. "And the last part is when he's out there fighting, or whenever he needs it, the part that he created to cope with Frank's line of work," she looked at the older Muggle.

"To be fair, I am a wanted criminal, I think that the boy turned out pretty good for all he had to deal with in his life," Frank smirked at the girl as James looked down at the dirt. "Man up soldier," he directed the comment at James who snapped up and flipped him off, causing a laugh from Moody and the Marauders.

"You raised me fine Frank, it's a wonder my head isn't more messed up," James nodded at him. "So long story short for this little shindig, I'm an idiot and if something happens from here on, we do it together, right?" he ran his free hand through his hair.

"You forgot the most important part pup," Sirius laughed loudly.

"And what's that Sirius?"

"The best booze is free booze," he laughed at his own joke, making everyone else roll their eyes.

**A/N: On a scale of 1-10, this was a 0 on the shit hitting the fan o-meter. Next chapter…might be a 12….. Fun times are coming, story is drawing to a close, am already planning Unified Theory and Super Soldier in my head, so when I post the final chapter of this, the initial chapters of the new stories will come out at the same time. Estimated chapters left in this story… possibly as little as three, I won't know til I write it out.**

**And yeah, 2 updates in one day, don't get used to it, I was on a sick day today.**


	21. Chapter 20: The Calm

**James Castle**

**Chapter 20: The Calm**

James blinked as the light hit his eyes in the early morning. He groaned as he rolled over, still feeling the taste of centaur mead in his mouth. He stopped in his roll as he realized where he was and who he was with. He smiled down at Hermione who still slept, mumbling in her sleep, gripping his torso in a death grip, using his chest as a pillow. He reached for the table next to her bed where he had left out some anti-hangover potions the night before, drinking his down quickly.

"Mmmmfff…." Hermione groaned, feeling him move, opening her eyes slightly. "Give," she ordered, reached to where he held the other potion out of his reach. "Give," she frowned, hitting him roughly in the chest.

"And this is why we don't go to nice places," he teased her as she drank the potion, clearing the headache. "You okay?" he smiled, brushing the hair from her face.

"Remind me to kill your godfather," she yawned releasing James. "Where are our clothes anyway?" she frowned, noticing their lack of clothing under the sheet..

"Well, I think you threw my pants in the fire," James smirked thinking back to last night.

"Good, they were in the way," she laughed, giving him a quick kiss, hopping out of bed. "Come on, I want to see what kind of shape the others are in," she walked to the bathroom giving him an eyeful "You coming?" she poked her head out when she realized he hadn't moved from the bed.

"Absolutely," James grinned, jumping to his feet following her, making sure to silence the door behind them.

**

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**

Sirius Black growled at the Gryffindors at the breakfast table, wishing they would not talk so loud. He drank his coffee slowly, nursing the headache from the night before. He gritted his teeth, blinking away the pain when James and Hermione took seats on either side of him, talking loudly on purpose.

"Good morning Sirius, wonderful day isn't it?" James clapped him on the back forcefully.

"Indeed it is James, birds singing, sun shining, wonderful morning to be here all bright eyed and bushy tailed," Hermione agreed with him, giggling at the dark looks Sirius was shooting them. "Oh look, it's Luna," Hermione waved at her friend as Sirius groaned and rested his head against the table. "Good morning Luna!" Hermione greeted her friend. "Sirius here was just telling me he wanted to hear some stories about the Crumple-Horned Snorack," Hermione laughed as Sirius banged his head on the table.

"What did I do to deserve this? Just so I can make sure I don't do it again," Sirius grabbed his head in his hands, trying to push back the headache.

"I have to agree with Sirius," Luna frowned at Hermione, sporting a bad case of hat hair and looking like she had slept in the woods, rather than stumbling back to the castle with the others around four in the morning. "I am not in the mood for any foolishness, just hand it over," she glared at James.

"Hand what over?" James smiled innocently.

"The hangover relief potion, give it to me now," frowned at him as Sirius' head jerked up.

"Oh thank you pup, please, please tell me you have extra," Sirius wrapped him in a hug, begging.

"Now why should we share?" Hermione poked Sirius in the side. "As I recall some of you thought it would be a good idea to get James as I as drunk as you could last night," Hermione mocked the two of them.

"Come on, we were just trying to get you two to loosen up, maybe get a shag out of your systems before you graduate," Sirius growled.

"Sirius," James patted him on the back. "We're seventeen years old and she has her own room," he laughed as Hermione gave Luna a dose of the potion. "I haven't slept in my own room since before Christmas," he grinned at his godfather.

"James!" Hermione reached across Sirius to hit her boyfriend. "We are not going to be discussing our sex life in public," she scolded him. "Drink this and stop talking," she glared at Sirius, giving him a potion. "Honestly, is that all you boys thing about?" she frowned.

Sirius relaxed immediately after drinking the potion, the pain in his head disappearing. "Yes, yes it is," he smirked at Hermione. "So…how was it?" Sirius winked at James.

"Padfoot," James glared at him.

"Yes, witches here are dying to know about his wand skill," Luna added dreamily.

"Luna!" Hermione shrieked at her friend.

**

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**

"Hey there Moony, looking a bit rough there," Sirius greeted his friend at a side entrance to the school later in the morning. Sirius held back the laughter as he took in his friend's haggard appearance. "Now what was so important that you and young Nymphadora decided to stay out there all night instead of coming back with the rest of us? You had us worried sick," he overacted the part of a worried parent.

"Why?" Lupin frowned, shaking his head at his friend as Nymphadora pushed him aside so she could come through the door.

"What? I can't be concerned for my cousin, little Nym here?" Sirius laughed, grabbing the confused woman in a hug. "There could have been a big bad wolf out there, she could have been in danger," Sirius continued overacting.

"Dear god," Remus shook his head, leading Tonks with him past Sirius. "Just keep walking, when he gets in a mood like this, you need to just ignore him," he explained as he pulled her along.

"Oh come on Moony, be a sport," Sirius begged following behind them. "I made a list, granted all the jokes aren't fit for polite conversation, but still, I have some good ones," Sirius complained as he followed closely behind the couple.

**

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**

"I need to speak with Luna Lovegood," Frank glared at the painting in front of the Ravenclaw common room, about ready to draw his knife on the stubborn painting.

"And I cannot allow you into the common room, unless you give the password," the painting replied before it swung open from behind.

"Hello there," the girl in questioned smiled at him. "Can we go for a walk?" she hummed happily, skipping down the hall, not waiting for an answer. "There, we should be alone here," she smiled as she led him into an unused classroom. She walked over to the window of the classroom, smiling up at the stars and the night sky, as Frank closed the door behind them.

"I had a Colonel, back when I was in the military," Frank joined her at the window, looking out at the calm night. "He was a bit of an ass to us, always talking down to us, doing everything in his power to make us hate him," Frank continued. "The point was, he could be a fun guy when times called for it," Frank smiled. "Before every big mission, he's commandeer us the mess hall and some booze, giving us one more night of fun before all hell breaks loose, as he put it," Frank glanced at her.

Luna hummed to herself looking out the window at the stars. "Smart man, your Colonel," she nodded after a while. "Do you know what the hardest part of seeing what I see is Mr. Castle?" Luna asked, resting her head on the cool glass. "Seeing everything, all the time, I… I can't stop half of what I see, all I can do is help pick the right path and hope everything works out for the best," she wiped some tears from her eyes.

"That bad?" Frank frowned wrapping his arm around the girl as she cried. "What can I do to make it go better, to help James?" he asked her.

"You'll know when the time comes," she hugged him tightly.

**A/N: Once again, a short one, I planned on making this one all action, but got off track. Action next time, I swear.**


	22. Chapter 21: The Storm

**James Castle**

**Chapter 21: The Storm**

"I don't like this Hermione," James frowned as he shared a sundae with his girlfriend. "It's not a good idea, we should have told Dumbledore to cancel the trip, had Luna talk about a vision or something," James ran his hand through his hair.

"James, shut up and eat," Hermione shoved a spoonful of ice cream at his face. "Worrying will not help the situation," she scolded him. "Moody called in some favors to get some extra Aurors patrolling, and everyone is here and ready to go," she pulled her spoon from his mouth, digging back into the sundae. "Now help me eat this, or else," she pointed the filled spoon back at him as he rolled his eyes and ate it.

"Whatever you say Hermione," he smile back at her, joining her in eating the ice cream, trying to ignore the pressure of the situation.

**

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**

"You really think it is smart to split up like this? We can't get a concentrated line of fire without risking hitting the civilians," Frank brought up his problems with their plan once again.

"Can it," Moody glared at him as Shacklebolt laughed. The three of them were sharing a drink in the Three Broomsticks. "The Aurors I tipped off are out there watching the rest of the town," Moody grumbled quietly. "This is where most of the students will be at any given time and where they will run to, that is why we are here," Moody frowned into his drink. "I don't know why you had to wear those clothes," he frowned at Frank. "If you are caught…"

"Every man goes to war his own way Moody," Frank grinned with Max's face, smiling down at the skull shirt under his robes.

**

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**

"Mr. Weasley, other Mr. Weasley," Sirius grinned as he pushed a pair of drinks to the Weasley twins. "Mr. Moony and I would very much like to thank you for joining us here today," he waved his hand dramatically at the interior of the Hog's Head pub.

"Indeed," Remus joined in the theatrics. "Mr. Padfoot and I have business to discuss with you," Remus smiled at the wide eyed young men. "We know you are working at Zonko's and have hopes to open your own shop, I hope you have brought some samples of your inventions as asked," Remus shook his head as the twins dropped to the ground praising them and Sirius burst out laughing.

**

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**

He walked into Hogsmeade for the first time since a trip when he was twenty years old. He laughed to himself at the children playing and running between shops, shaking his head at them. "Watch where you're going you little bastards!" he heard an old woman complain as she was knocked over by some of the more unruly kids.

"Allow me ma'am," he bowed, helping the aged witch to her feet.

"Frank, what are you doing here, you are supposed to be with Moody and Shack," the woman's voice changed to anger immediately.

"Ah, Miss Tonks, good to see you again," he replied, pulling down the hood of his cloak to reveal his whole head. "As you can see, I am not the donor, not the recipient," he ran his head over the still regrowing hair.

"Max?" Tonks questioned, changing back to her usual form. "What the hell are you doing here?" she greeted the man with a quick hug.

"I got an interesting letter from a girl who seemed to know a lot about things," Max explained. "What is a Snorack?" he added quickly.

"Luna…" Tonks laughed.

"Well, through Miss Lovegood's letter and explanations, I was cleared to come here and investigate, this Snorack," he frowned, pulling a letter and some pictures from his robes.

"There is no Snorack Max, the paper her father owns prints stories about imaginary creatures," Tonks laughed. "It's like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster when it isn't wizards playing a trick on the Muggles in Scotland," she explained.

"Miss Tonks, I am not permitted to discuss the existence or non-existence of the creature known as Bigfoot with you," Max recited automatically.

"What? You mean it's real?" her jaw dropped, staring at him.

"No comment," Max frowned, feeling around in his pocket for something. "You should probably duck," he helped by kicking her feet out from under her before firing a tazer at a wizard in a white mask sneaking up behind her. "Miss Lovegood feared you would not make it out of this day alive without assistance," he grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet as screams broke out throughout the small town. "Lead on Tonks, I haven't been here for over twenty years," he chucked as he bound the Death Eater with some plastic wrist ties.

**

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**

"This is a stupid idea!" Remus shouted as he, Sirius, and the twins ran down the street firing hexes over their shoulders at the half dozen Death Eaters closing in on them. "Completely insane!" he added as Sirius dragged him into Zonko's and the twins locked down the store, activating the wards, keeping the Death Eaters out for now.

"Get everyone out of here now," Sirius grabbed the cashier and started herding her and the shoppers to the back of the store.

"Are you nuts Padfoot? We're sitting ducks here!" Remus shouted at him, watching as the wards began to deteriorate.

"Mister Moony, Mr. Good Twin requests that you look around you," one of the twins smirked and began picking things off the shelves.

"Indeed, Mr. Evil Twin is quite pleased by Mr. Padfoot's plan," the other fired back copying his brother's actions.

"Weren't you the good twin back at Hog's Head before the Death Eaters came through the Floo?" Remus groaned, never being able to tell them apart when he taught them either.

"We can never tell," they replied in unison.

"Can we keep them Moony, please?" Sirius shook with laughter as he gathered a bagful of pranks and took his position where he could see the entrance.

**

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**

"Down," James frowned as he pulled his pistols out and fired at the group of Death Eaters advancing on Hermione as they left the small ice cream shop. Hermione dropped and dove behind James, pulling out her own gun. Screams erupted throughout the town as the Death Eaters attacked from all sides, seemingly pouring from every building with a Floo connection. "On me, stay safe," he ordered Hermione as he took off down the street towards other shops where he could see flashes of light.

"Shoot to kill, make sure they don't hurt anyone again," he instructed Hermione as he made sure she was close to him as they moved. "Watch my back," he kissed her quickly before kicking down the store's door and going in guns blazing.

**

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**

"It's cold," Frank frowned, shaking the bad thoughts from his head as he watched his breath in front of him. "It's cold," he said again, pushing his iced over drink at Moody before getting up from the table.

"Dementors likely," Shack nodded as he got up with Frank and walked over to the doorway. "You won't be able to see them Frank, they feed on bad memories, draining all happiness from you, then they kiss you and take your soul," Shack explained quickly as Moody, being Moody, managed to get everyone as far away from the front of the building as possible.

"I'll think of something, just keep them off me until I do," Frank smirked as Moody caught back up to them.

"We need to get out there and help the people, funnel them in here where it's safe," Moody stomped over to the two men. "Ready gentlemen?" he grinned, his eye whirring around in his head.

"Sure, fighting things I can't see or hurt, just another day for me," Frank laughed peeking out the window. "Got an idea how to fix that though," he smiled as he dug around his magically enhanced robes.

**

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**

Oliver Wood, being the sole survivor of 'the Punisher's attack on Knockturn Alley' was immediately rewarded with command of his own before being dispatched for their first mission as a precautionary measure for a show of force in Hogsmeade. He ducked into the first shop he found after seeing the rest of his crew cut down by Death Eaters that had emerged from a building. "Whoa, take it easy there…Granger?" he raised his hands, showing his wand as he found himself at the business end of Hermione's wand with her pistol shoved into his gut.

"Wood?" Hermione replied questioningly before pushing him out of the way and firing back out the door before magically sealing it. "What are you doing here Oliver, you're an Auror, where's your team?" she angrily questioned him as the two of them cringed each time they heard a gunshot in the other rooms of the house.

"Dead, Death Eaters came out of nowhere," he jerked his head, pointing his wand as the door to the back of the shop opened.

"Put that down before I break it in half and shove it up your arse," James glared at him, going to the doorway immediately. "Building is clear, some Death Eaters were trying to keep the Floo open to get reinforcements, I think I fixed that problem," he poked the curtain so he could peek outside. "Nice shot Hermione," he nodded, seeing the body of a Death Eater right outside the door.

"What did you do to the Floo James, it's normally very difficult to disrupt Floo transport," Hermione frowned.

"Tossed some Fiendfyre in it without giving a destination, then the fireplace blew up," James shrugged.

"That likely took out all Floo travel in England, how much Fiendfyre did you use?" Hermione frowned.

"Um…all of it? I figured we wouldn't be needing it here," James scouted up and down the street from behind the curtain.

"He just knocked out the entire European grid of the Floo network, didn't he?" Wood asked, still trying to adjust to the situation.

"And more likely than not blew up all their fireplaces," Hermione sighed, peeking out the window. "How many?" she asked as James pulled her back with him to Wood.

"We have three Eaters on the right that I can see, as well as a couple others with what looks to be a mountain troll on the left, anyone got a preference?" he smiled as Hermione nodded.

"I'll take the troll, you get the other way," she grinned.

"Are you insane, you knocked out the Floo, no help is coming," Wood protested.

"Help is for those who aren't good enough to win on their own," James glared at him before readying his pistols.

"James Castle, that's you, isn't it?" Wood asked he gathered his courage. "You saved my life a couple times," he sighed, gripping his wand. "What do you want me to do?" he looked at the younger man.

"Help Hermione, I can handle myself, go on three," James grabbed the door handle and started counting.

**

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**

"Remind me to go back there and shoot that one I bound when we are done here Miss Tonks," Max ducked under a green spell from the wizard he was advancing on. "I have to admit I am rather enjoying this whole license to kill," he turned to cover Tonks after drilling the Death Eater he faced square between the eyes with a shot from his pistol.

"Having entirely too much fun here Max, can we please be serious?" Tonks shouted back as she conjured a block of stone to block a curse from the Death Eater she was dueling. "Reducto!" she shouted, catching the man in his neck, effectively decapitating him. "That is gross," she grimaced as he bled out. "What, no witty comment, Mr. Secret Agent?"

"No, I have several, just unsure to go the route of making a pun about Sirius's name, rehashing a long line of head jokes from a movie, or wondering how we are going to kill that," he pointed up the street at two Death Eaters and a troll.

"Mountain troll, mean buggers," Tonks explained as she and Max ushered frightened shoppers and students behind them to the safe area they had cleared. "Skin is super tough and spell resistant, so unless you have a trick up your sleeve, this is going to be messy," she explained as they got ready to attack. "What the hell?" she looked up, seeing a large shadow form over the troll before a rock the size of a semi dropped on it.

"Or we can just take down the wizards that were controlling it," Max offered as the said wizards were hit from both sides at once. "Correct me if I'm wrong Tonks, but even in the wizarding world, rocks this big don't just fall out of the sky," Max poked the rock, stepping over the Death Eater.

"Freeze!"

Max stuck his head around the rock, getting a look at the man who was holding his wand in their direction. "Ah…Tonks, mind handling this?" he shouted to the woman who came up behind him peeking around the rock as well.

"Oh god, Hermione!" Tonks cried out, rushing to help the young witch who the man was watching over. "What happened?" she demanded, glaring at the man before recognizing him. "Wood? It's me, Tonks, what happened to Hermione?" she asked again with urgency.

"She got the crazy idea to transfigure a pebble that I levitated into a boulder and drop it to kill the troll," he frowned as he noticed the troll's arm still twitching. "Then she collapsed, I'm supposed to watch over her," he added, jerking his thumb down the street where James was finishing off the three Death Eaters he had engaged earlier.

**

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**

"I don't know if this is a good sign, or a bad one," Sirius laughed as he dodged a spell from a Death Eater he had turned purple and covered in boils with various things from the shelves.

"Well, we are all in one piece, I take that as a good sign," the twin that had partnered up with him laughed. "How many more out there?" he frowned, digging about his robes for something.

"Oh…just a dozen maybe," Sirius frowned, pulling his head back from the shelf he had taken cover behind. "Any other tricks or we go out wands blazing?" Sirius grinned as the twin pulled two packages from his robes.

"Say activate and chuck it over their heads," the twin smiled. "Fred, we're going to deploy a pair of projects 83 prototypes!" he shouted to where the other twin was pinned down with Lupin.

"Gotcha, going on your count!" Fred yelled back to George.

"One! Two! Three! Activate!" the twins and the two remaining Marauders shouted together before throwing their packages into the air above the Death Eaters. The four of them jumped up when they heard the sounds of a mass of splashing water and hexed anything that moved.

"What exactly is this?" Remus asked as he poked the edge of the much with his foot, where a Death Eater was struggling to free himself before he was stunned.

"Portable swamps, we've been working on them for a while now, the applications are limitless," a twin explained while the other waved his wand saying a sequence in Latin, causing a path to form across the large swamp to where it ended in the street outside. "Going to need to put warning labels on them though, can't go activating them with people underneath them like that, just isn't safe," he led the way down the path, pointing at the bodies of the Death Eaters who had drowned in the unexpected muck.

**

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**

"Expecto Patronum!" Moody shouted, sending his wolverine Patronus toward the Dementors, scattering them, giving Frank some cover. "You better do whatever you're planning quick Castle!" he yelled as Shacklebolt helped him keep the Dementors at bay.

"Just a couple seconds," Frank shuddered from the feelings that were surfacing, pushing them to the back of his head. He looked around the street, unable to see the Dementors, but seeing the Patroni keeping them at bay. "Here goes nothing," Frank pressed a few buttons on the device he had, setting a timer. "Fire in the hole!" he yelled, throwing the package into the air where the Patroni were herding the invisible Dementors before diving to the ground.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Moody shouted as he dove to the ground copying Frank's actions. "That'll kill us too," he cringed as he heard the bomb go off in the sky.

"Seems to be working pretty well I think," Frank stared up at the fireball in the sky, the previously invisible Dementors somewhat visible as the Fiendfyre consumed them. "Besides, if anything can contain that fire, it's got to be a big pile of monsters," Frank laughed he and Moody got to their feet.

"A little help here," Shack got their attention as he transfigured some rocks into a small wall to hide behind as he traded fire with a group of Death Eaters.

"What, can't handle a few bad apples on your own Shacklebolt?" Moody laughed and started firing spells back at the Death Eaters.

"There's only five of them, nothing too difficult," Frank smiled as he took aim and dropped one with a shot to the chest. "Make that four of them," he laughed as the polyjuice finished wearing off and he shrugged off the rest of his disguise.

"It's Castle!" one of the Death Eaters shouted before he was dropped from a stunner by Shacklebolt.

"Damn it Shacklebolt, don't use stunners," Moody swore at him as he spotted another Death Eater Ennervating the fallen Death Eater. "Those are Avada Kedavras they are firing at us, now shoot something that is going to take them out for good, you were an Auror for Merlin's sake," Moody glared at the man.

"If you two are quite through, they have some reinforcements out there," Frank fired a couple shots at the Death Eaters that had transfigured their own barriers to hide behind. He ducked under a green blast, feeling it hit the wall behind him, showering him in bits of rock.

"How many?" Moody stuck his head up to take a look, ducking back down as his eye whirled in his head. "I count about 7, maybe more," Moody frowned. "Give us some cover Frank, we'll try to break down their barriers and take them out," Moody ordered.

"Gotcha," Frank nodded, moving away from the wizards. "Going," he mouthed before popping up spraying bullets at the Death Eaters' positions. He moved out of the way as another green spell barely missed his head, ducking as he kept firing. Moody and Shacklebolt concentrated their spells on the Death Eaters together, blowing apart two of the barriers and the Death Eaters behind them.

"I think you need to work on your counting skills there Moody," Frank yelled at him after they took cover again. "There's a dozen more at least," he glared at the older man.

"So my count was a little off, got any more toys?" Moody ducked as the rock behind him shook from the spells hitting it. "Because we aren't going last much longer against that many at this rate," he added, reinforcing the barrier.

**

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**

Luna sat inside the Three Broomsticks with all the other students, trying to peek out the windows at the fight going on outside. "There, Moody, Lupin, and Smart are fighting them," Ernie pointed out the window as everyone snuck glances at the street from behind the blinds. "Oh wow," he stammered as he saw Max destroy the Dementors before changing into Frank. "It's him!" he exclaimed when Frank threw off his robes and started firing bullets at the Death Eaters.

"There's too many Death Eaters," Justin watched with his friend as Luna cringed as she saw Shacklebolt drop to the ground from a Crucio. "Shacklebolt is down," he told the other kids who were hiding as far away from the windows as possible, half of them crying. "They're not gonna make it," he realized as Moody went down in a heap, bleeding heavily from a gash across his chest.

"Oh god, he's hit," Ernie paled as Frank dropped with a broken leg, crawling behind cover, firing at the Death Eaters.

"Give it up Castle, drop your weapons and come out and we'll leave the kids alone!" they heard the Death Eater's amplified voice come through the walls.

"Go to hell," they heard him shout back, nailing the exposed Death Eater between the eyes with a shot before being hit with the red light of the Cruciatus and writhing in pain.

"Damn it," Justin swore as the Death Eaters advanced on Frank's body. "We have to do something Ernie, they're all going to be killed out there," he pulled his wand out.

"What are you kids doing!?" looked at the three still at the windows as she tried to comfort and protect the other students. "Don't even think about going out there, we are going to stay here until the Aurors come, the wards will keep us safe," she glared at the two boys who were holding their wands tightly.

"They're going to get killed out there, killed for protecting us," Ernie let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"There will be much death today," Luna said calmly. "The stars are not clear as to who though," she nodded weakly at the two boys.

**

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**

"On your feet Castle, I want to look into your eyes before I kill you," a Death Eater with black hair visible behind his mask ordered two others to hold the man upright. "The Dark Lord will reward me greatly for killing you today, he is quite annoyed at the trouble you have caused him," the man taunted Frank who struggled against the two holding him, the bone sticking out from his leg where they broke it, blood dripping from cuts all up and down his body.

"Go ahead and do it, coward," Frank spat a mouthful of blood at the mask. "Not even man enough to show your face, killing people who can't defend themselves, you're pathetic," Frank grinned at him before the wizard backhanded him, rattling his teeth. "And you hit like a girl," Frank spat more blood at the wizard before the wizard hit him with another Crucio.

"You are very formidable for a Muggle, still being conscious after all that," the Death Eater taunted as Frank glared at him, his body crying out in pain. "I will allow you to see my face before I kill you," he pressed his wand to Frank's throat sharply, drawing blood. "Your time is at an end, filthy Muggle," he continued, slowly removing his mask.

"Snape," Frank glared at him. "I guess you weren't as innocent as you led Dumbledore to think," he grinned at the confused Death Eater.

"How did you…" Snape began to ask. "The boy," he scowled. "You've been communicating with Potter," Snape deduced. "Don't worry, he'll be joining you once the Dark Lord find him," Snape smiled, taking a step away, keeping his wand trained on Frank. "Let him stand on his own," he waved the two other Death Eaters off, leaving Frank weakly standing on his good leg. "Goodbye, Punisher," Snape mocked him. "Avada Kedavra!" Snape shouted as all hell broke loose.

**

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**

"He gonna be okay?" Sirius asked George who was tending to his brother.

"If we get him to St. Mungos soon," George nodded, helping move his brother who had been hit with a bludgeoning curse and had yet to regain consciousness. "I can't leave him alone, mum would kill me," he explained as they pulled him over to the side of the street.

"Sirius? That you?" Tonks shouted as she ran up the street with Max behind her.

"Yeah, isn't he supposed to be at the Three Broomsticks?" Sirius asked, waving for Remus to come back from his point position.

"I just got here, a little bird told me I should make a trip," Max chuckled, examining the injured Weasley. "Pretty bad concussion there, we need to get him to a doctor soon," he frowned. "Are all the Floo connections down up here too?"

"Yeah, half the fireplaces are destroyed too," Remus replied. "You stay here, we'll go ahead forward, come on," he gave Tonks a quick kiss before leading them down the street.

**

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**

"What's wrong with her?" Tonks asked Wood quickly when they reached where he was helping James carry Hermione down the street.

"Magical exhaustion, that huge rock that crushed the troll back there used to be a pebble before she enlarged it," Wood explained as Tonks took James' spot and helped him with Hermione. "How bad is it?" he asked as they passed more wreckage and bodies.

"Pretty bad, you're the first Auror I've seen," she replied as they watched the Marauders and James lead the way down the street with Max watching their backs.

"They were coming through the Floo before he took it out of commission," Wood shook his head. "The rest of the Aurors should be here by now though, something must be wrong," Wood looked away as he passed one of the Aurors that trained him lying dead on the street. "Something is very wrong…" he whispered under his breath, giving Hermione to Tonks and ran up to where James and the others were pointing their wands at the space in front of the Three Broomsticks.

"Frank," James froze as he saw Snape pointing his wand at Frank's bloody body.

"Avada Kedavra!" Snape shouted as the green light glowed at the end of his wand.

"No!" James yelled as he saw Snape begin the curse, pointing his guns at the Death Eater and pulling the triggers as Wood and the Marauders joined him in throwing spells at the remaining Death Eaters they had snuck up on.

Snape's head turned as he heard the shout from behind him as he finished casting the curse, his eyes growing wide as the front wall of the Three Broomsticks exploded into his face, the shockwave knocking him from his feet and altering the course of the Avada Kedavra into the surprised face of one of the Death Eaters that had held Frank up earlier. Spells poured out of the gaping hole in the building, immediately downing the remaining Death Eater that was guarding Frank, who fell to the ground as well.

The Death Eaters were caught from both sides as James' group opened fire and was joined by half a dozen Hufflepuffs firing from the Three Broomsticks, dropping half the remaining Death Eaters in the confusion. Luna darted out into the open, running for Frank as Justin and Ernie tried to hold her back. She dove at Frank, quickly grabbing him around his midsection and pulling him with her towards the pub.

"Look out!" someone from the pub yelled at her. She turned her head smiling as the black curse hit her directly in the face, knocking her limp body to the ground.

"Luna!" voices screamed from all sides as the defenders redoubled their efforts, cutting down the remaining Death Eaters as Frank Castle wrapped one arm around the girl, pulling himself over her so that he shielded her until the sounds of the battle stopped and he blissfully passed out from pain and exhaustion.

**A/N: Btw, if you are not picturing Max with the Inspector Gadget voice, you are banned from reading this story any more. Anyway, another chapter down, two more to go.**


	23. Chapter 22: Prophecy Revealed

**James Castle**

**Chapter 22: Prophesy Revealed**

Albus Dumbledore tinkered with the fireplace in his office, wondering what had happened to cause the Floo network to go offline in the last ten minutes. "Puzzling, what do you think Fawkes?" he asked his familiar who was watching from his perch. "Powerful magic would be necessary to cause damage like this to the Floo," he mused as he tried various spells to repair the damages. Suddenly the school's alarms began to ring loudly and Fawkes vanished in a flash of fire. He quickly ran over to his desk, examining several complex devices. "Emergency portkeys to the hospital ward," he frowned, leaving his office as fast as his legs could carry him.

He made it down several hallways, cursing the castle's anti-apparation wards before a blur ran by him before skidding to a stop. "Headmaster!" the man panicked, catching his breath. "Thank god I found you," he spat out between breaths.

"Oliver Wood, is that you? Why are you in Hogwarts?" Dumbledore questioned as the ex-student finally caught his breath enough to speak coherently.

"Death Eaters attacked Hogsmeade around 20 minutes ago, we had to evacuate the worst injured using the emergency portkeys your security team had, but we need to get back there to get the students back here safe," Wood explained, wiping at a cut on his arm that was freely bleeding.

"You should go to the hospital wing too Oliver, you are injured as well, the staff and I can handle the students," Dumbledore started walking briskly in the direction of McGonagall's office.

"It's just a scratch, I'll be fine, the others are in a lot worse shape than I am," Wood shook his head, accompanying the headmaster to his former head of house's office.

**

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**

Madam Pomfrey whirled around to the area where she knew emergency portkeys deposited their travelers as the alarms went off. She was startled to see the Headmaster's familiar flame in immediately, watching the portkey zone intently. "Alastor!" she cried out, rushing to help the pale ex-Auror who was being supported by former student Oliver Wood. "Quickly, get him on the bed," she motioned as she helped Wood move him to the closest bed. "What happened?" she demanded as she examined him quickly, noticing the blood soaked clothes and trail of blood from where he portkeyed in.

"Death Eaters, he got hit by a bad slicing curse," Wood explained as another pair of bodies were deposited via portkey. "He's in the worst shape of the lot, we think," Wood moved out of the way to help Remus who was carrying Luna's still form. "There's a lot more incoming, I need to go get the Headmaster so he can lead the students out of Hogsmeade," he helped Remus set Luna down as Pomfrey started pouring potions down Moody's throat and Fawkes flew over and began to shed tears on the gaping wound across his chest.

"Go, Remus knows a fair bit about medicine from his time at Hogwarts," she waved at the young man. "Remus, come here, keep pouring blood replenisher down his throat," she ordered before going over to Luna as Wood bolted through the hospital door. "What happened to her?" she frowned, noting the girl was barely breathing and very pale.

"Took a curse to the head, I've never seen anything like it before," Remus explained as two more bodies showed up.

"How many more are coming?" Pomfrey asked as one Weasley twin drug the other over to an open bed. "And what happened to him?" she frowned at the pale look on the moving twin.

"Bludgeoning curse knocked him for a loop and he cracked his head off the ground pretty bad," George responded. "We think he got a pretty bad concussion at best," he explained.

"Third shelf, blue potion about midway across, it will stabilize him for now," she ordered the twin. "How many more are coming Remus?" she frowned, checking on Moody as Luna did not seem to be getting any better or worse.

"Shacklebolt, Castle, Hermione, and James probably need the most attention, everyone else should be good enough to help," Remus counted as James dropped in with Hermione in his arms, carrying her to a bed immediately making her comfortable.

"I'm going to need assistance, we need to Floo St. Mungos for extra Healers," she looked over at the cold fireplace. "Why is my Floo connection out?" she frowned.

"Sorry," James shrugged, holding Hermione's hand tightly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," his face grew dark when he saw Luna's light breathing.

"I need Healers…" Pomfrey frowned as Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared, being heavily supported by a pair of Hufflepuff seventh years. "Fawkes," she looked to the phoenix that finished crying another tear into the wound before looking at her. "I need you to find my two apprentices and bring them here now, please," she begged the creature that vanished into a flash of fire.

"Mr. MacMillan, top shelf, red potion on the far right, give it to Kingsley," she ordered the boy who moved quickly to follow her orders. "How many more Remus?" she asked the werewolf who was looking down at Moody numbly.

"Castle, Sirius, Max, Nymphadora, and…" he stopped as Tonks dropped in with Max and Frank.

"I heard that!" she glared at him for using her name as she and Max carried Frank over to a bed.

"Is that who I think it is?" Pomfrey's face went pale.

"Yes, he helped us defend the students and stop the Death Eaters," Remus nodded.

"The Ministry wants him dead," she bit her lip, grabbing several potions from her cupboard. "I'm going to have to report him to the Aurors once he's stabilized," she frowned at the nasty broken leg and other wounds.

"You let us worry about that," James fumed as Sirius portkeyed in with another body and Fawkes returned with two young girls.

**

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**

Dumbledore and Wood gathered McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick quickly and made it to the edge of the school's apparation wards after informing Haggrid to find the remaining professors and prepare for the students. "Is the apparation point still functioning or did the Death Eaters take that out with the Floo?" Dumbledore asked Wood.

"Should still be up, it was our side that knocked out the Floo, that's where the Death Eater reinforcements were coming from," Wood nodded, not explaining who and how the Floo got knocked out.

"Okay, let's go," Dumbledore ordered as he disappeared with the Auror and three Heads of House. They reappeared outside the Shrieking Shack and moved as fast as they could toward the small town. "My word…" Dumbledore frowned as he came upon a group of four dead Aurors and a dead Death Eater. "Mr. Wood, how many Aurors were stationed to patrol today?" he asked the young man who was gritting his teeth at the bodies. "Oliver," he said his name again, snapping him out of it.

"Sorry sir," Wood snapped his head to look at the Headmaster. "We had the standard four teams, plus an additional two patrols that were called in when Alastor Moody contacted Scrimgeour, so there were 24 of us here," Wood explained numbly.

"Where are the others gathering the children?" Dumbledore asked the man who blinked back at him.

"There are no others, the Death Eaters took us out first, I'm the only Auror that lived past the first minute," Wood frowned as he led his old professors into the town. "Should be some holed up there in the Three Broomsticks, this is where we caught up with the last of the Eaters and Shacklebolt's team," he watched as McGonagall and Sprout carefully entered via the hole in the wall of the building.

"How many Death Eaters were there?" Dumbledore questioned as he counted the bodies in his mind.

"Hell if I know, we didn't have time to compare notes," Wood snarled as he poked at a body to make sure it was dead. "Sorry," he apologized, letting out a deep breath.

"Hmm, I can identify most of the damage here from Reductors and other curses, but some of this damage, I cannot identify," Flitwick looked at Wood.

"Ask Castle when you get back to Hogwarts," Wood frowned at the diminutive professor before going to work identifying some bodies.

"Minerva, how are the students?" Dumbledore asked as a surprised McGonagall emerged from the wreckage of the Three Broomsticks.

"They're fine Albus, they're all fine," she looked confused as she explained. "Albus, they're all inside, every student that was here today that we did not suspect of being in league with You-Know-Who is in there," she swallowed loudly. "They say Castle, Granger, Lovegood, MacMillan, and Finch-Fletchley helped fight back and took portkeys with the rest of Shacklebolt's group," she explained, looking at Wood.

"Mr. Wood, why did you not mention that students aided in the defense here?" Dumbledore asked quickly.

"Did not seem important at the time," Wood grinned before pulling his wand on some advancing figures. "Hold! State your business!" he shouted, taking cover, prepared to battle.

"Command Authorization Blackbird, confirm," a voice shouted back.

"Acknowledged Blackbird, this is Puddlemore," Wood waved his wand, sending a short burst of sparks into the air as the figures came up the street.

"Head Auror Scrimgeour, Minister Fudge," Wood snapped to attention quickly.

"Stand down Wood, what happened here," Scrimgeour pulled him away from Fudge who went directly to Dumbledore.

"Sir, the Auror teams were all ambushed, I got lucky enough to escape the initial attack and met up with the resistance left in the town," Wood continued carefully. "We retook the town one building at a time, disabling the Floo when we realized it was how they were getting reinforcements. We made our way to the Three Broomsticks where we met up with the last of the resistance and downed the Death Eaters," Wood glanced at Fudge who was yelling at Dumbledore.

"Auror Wood, who were the resistance?" Scrimgeour examined the young man.

"Sir, they are in the hospital wing at Hogwarts now, they are in no danger," Wood said quickly.

"This is an order Auror," Scrimgeour studied him. "Who were the resistance?" he asked again.

Wood seemed troubled as Flitwick, Dumbledore, Fudge, Scrimgeour, and anyone within earshot waited for his reply. "Weasley twins, Shacklebolt, Moody, Lupin, Black, Tonks, Smart, Granger, Lovegood, a pair of Puffs, and the Castles," he tried to fight as the oath binding him to the Auror command made him speak.

"Harry Potter fought them?" Scrimgeour asked again.

"No, James Castle did…with his Uncle," Wood shook as he tried to fight the compulsion.

**

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**

"You can threaten all you want Fudge, you and your men are not going in there with your wands," Remus Lupin glared at the Minister of Magic outside the door to the hospital wing.

"Stand aside you bloody werewolf, we will be given entrance," Fudge glared at him as the door opened a crack and Sirius Black slid outside. "Black," Fudge spat at him.

"Hello Fudge, Dumbledore, rest of you whose names escape me," Sirius greeted the small crowd. "What seems to be the problem?" he smirked at them.

"The werewolf is refusing to let us into the hospital wing to talk to the survivors and arrest Frank Castle," Fudge shook in anger.

"Oh, is that all?" Sirius laughed. "Thing the first, you have tried to kill me, along with two members of the security team in the past, we don't trust you for shit," Sirius glared at him. "Thing the second, no, there will be no questioning, at least until they wish to entertain you," he grinned as Fudge glared at him. "Thing the third, you'll not be taking Frank Castle from here today, or any day," he moved to the side as Fudge and the Aurors tried to break down the door.

**

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**

"Persistent, aren't they?" Max and James watched the door, reinforcing the charms as Kingsley directed them from the chair he had settled in, sipping his recovery potion.

"Should have told Sirius to just get to the point and take their wands before they came in," James frowned, glancing between the many occupied beds.

"And deprive him a chance to taunt the Minister?" Kingsley laughed weakly. "We'd never hear the end of it," he added.

The three of them watched the door as the others that were able to, worked together to treated the injured. Pomfrey's two apprentices, Susan Bones and Ginny Weasley, went to work once Fawkes had brought them. Fred was unconscious on his bed; Ginny had tented to him immediately, chasing George away. Hermione was resting in her bed, sleeping soundly from exhaustion. Susan was working on Frank as Max had to hold the man down at points to force him to take potions. Luna has not moved much since she had arrived, her vital signs stable, Pomfrey said she needed a curse specialist to treat her. Pomfrey cried openly as she pulled the sheet up over Moody's face, the slicing charm that hit him was too much, he had died despite the continual flow of blood replenishing potions into him.

Justin, Ernie, and Tonks watched over the last injured body that had been portkeyed in, Severus Snape. Tonks looked over his wounds, seeing the massive amounts of shrapnel in his side and face, administering stabilizing and replenishing potions before she pried his wand from his hand. "Let's see just what you've been up to Snape," she muttered casting a charm on the wand. "You son of a bitch," she recognized a few spells in, the slicing spell that had mortally wounded Moody.

She stood over the Death Eater with wand out along with the two Hufflepuffs as the door to the hospital wing opened. "He moves, Reducto to the head," she grabbed Ernie by the front of his shirt before pushing him away and going to back up James and Max.

"Minister Fudge, Head Auror Scrimgeour, Headmaster Dumbledore," Kingsley nodded at the three of them that were allowed in before Sirius and Remus had closed and locked the doors again. "Got their wands Black?" he waited as Sirius came over, turning over the three wands. He watched James carefully as he stood between the three men and Frank's bed. "Sirius, try to keep James under control," he said quietly as he took the wands from Sirius.

"Kingsley, I demand you arrest and turn that man over to us now," Scrimgeour ordered as the ex-Auror slowly got up from his chair near the door and limped over to stand beside Tonks.

"All yours Tonks," he grinned as the young woman's hair turned various shades of red, purple, and black.

"We're not Aurors any more, you bloody wankers," she pointed her finger at the men. "First you," she poked Fudge in the chest hard. "You damn near got us killed when you tried to kill Sirius all because he proved your damn courts were wrong!" she moved to Scrimgeour next. "You backed him up on assigning us to track down someone who you thought would kill us as much as look at us, and then had the nerve to fire us because we couldn't save the lives of some damn Death Eaters!" she glared at the Head Auror.

"And you, you and your damn Order of the Phoenix!" she moved onto Dumbledore. "All this time, the Death Eaters have been building up, preparing for something like this," she poked in his beard. "You knew, hell, I did the recon warning you about it," she glared at him. "You knew Voldemort was back for over two years, and we say back and did nothing!"

"Nymphadora, I assure you…" Dumbledore was stopped as she slapped him hard across the face, knocking his glasses to the ground.

"I was not finished!" she glared at him. "And don't call me Nymphadora!" she pulled her wand, on the Headmaster before Remus wrapped her up from behind and pulled her away. "Let me go Remus!" she fought against him as he wrapped her up tight, whispering in her ear as he pulled her away from the door to go check on Luna.

"As you can see, my team is not particularly happy with the direction of this war," Shacklebolt commented as he fixed Dumbledore's glasses and handed them back. "How many people died the last few years, all because no one took action?" Kingsley asked.

"There was no action to take, there we no laws being broken," Scrimgeour said through his gritted teeth. "All of the free Death Eaters were found to be under the Imperius curse following the first war," he glared at Kingsley.

"We have to try to save them Kingsley, they deserve a second chance," Dumbledore lectured.

"Second chance!" Tonks fought free of Lupin. "You and your second chances, see where they got us all? See where they got Moody?" she screamed, pulling the sheet back, revealing the dead ex-Auror before Remus pulled her away again, this time giving her a calming drought that Pomfrey slipped him.

"Alastor…"Dumbledore was stunned to see the man not moving. "What happened to him?" he tore his gaze away as Pomfrey pulled the sheet up to cover him again.

"He took a bad slicing curse during the battle," Pomfrey frowned as Tonks muttered things softly to her and Remus. "He had bled out for the most part before he got here for treatment, even with Fawkes' tears and five times the safe dosage of Blood Replenishment potion, he didn't make it," she frowned as Tonks handed her a wand before breaking down into tears in Lupin's arms. "Priori Incantetum," she pointed her own wand at the one Tonks had given her, seeing evidence of multiple Avada Kedavras, Reductos, other dark curses, and finally Sectumsempra. "This is the wand that killed him," she frowned, handing it over to Kingsley before checking on the bed where the Hufflepuffs were guarding Severus Snape.

"Recognize it Dumbledore?" James glared at the man who studied the wand for a moment before the realization dawned on him.

"Severus…" Dumbledore stumbled a moment, not believing what was before him.

"See what your second chances got us?" Sirius frowned as he levitated the bloodied but alive body of Severus Snape from the bed, dropping it roughly in front of the Headmaster. "He was helping lead the attack against the Three Broomsticks," Sirius spat at the man. "He's the reason Moody is dead, a lot more of us would be dead if the kids hadn't exploded the front wall of the pub into him," Sirius jerked his thumb at the two Hufflepuffs.

Scrimgeour knocked on the door quickly, opening it as Kingsley nodded. "Aurors, take this Death Eater away, charge him with the murder of Alastor Moody, among other things," he called out, letting an Auror in to drag the body out, taking the wand with them. "There's nothing we could have done about this, we had extra patrols there," Scrimgeour leaned on the wall.

"Patrols that were undertrained and picked off first," James glared at Fudge, ignoring the others. "Frank, myself, and the others here have done more for the war in the past eight months than you lot have in the last three years," he snarled before walking away to check on Hermione.

"How are the others?" Dumbledore frowned, noting the other occupied beds.

"Weasley twin #1 has a bad concussion, he'll be fine in a couple days," Kingsley explained. "Hermione is suffering from magical exhaustion from crushing a troll with a pebble she transfigured into a boulder," he noticed the Headmaster smile, having obviously seen the rock in the town earlier. "Luna got hit with some kind of a dark curse, we don't know what it was, but she is stable. Everyone else besides Frank just has some cuts and bruises and is very tired," Kingsley watched the men look over to the bed where Susan Bones was treating a man.

"That man is a murderer, you are going to give him to us now," Fudge ordered Kingsley.

"I don't think you want to try to do that Minister," Kingsley warned as Fudge ignored him and started walking toward the bed.

"I am the Minister of Magic, I will do what I want," Fudge sneered until he felt something press against the back of his head.

"You take another damn step, and you're going to have a closed casket funeral," James glared at him, having hurdled Moody's bed pulling his gun to place it at the head of the Minister.

"Put your toy away, boy," Fudge shook with anger. "I am the Minister of Magic, I will not be treated like a common mudblood!" he shouted as he felt the gun leave his head. His resulting smile as he turned was short lived however, as James cracked him in the head with the butt of his pistol, knocking him out with a sickening crunch.

"James!" Dumbledore frowned as Kingsley and Sirius held him and Scrimgeour back.

"This man has caused as much death, through his corruption and stupidity, as the Death Eaters, he pardoned after the first war," James pulled the man by his robes back to the middle of the room. "This," he handed a vial containing a memory to Scrimgeour. "Is the Punisher interrogation Bellatrix LeStrange before he killed her, long story short, you cannot take the Dark Mark under Imperius," he glared at Fudge, binding him with magical ropes. "And this, is Umbridge offering a peace on behalf of Fudge to known Death Eaters in Knockturn Alley," he handed over another vial. "Puts a different spin on all those campaign contributions from the Malfoys and others, doesn't it?" James glared at Scrimgeour.

"Dumbledore, I need a Pensieve, now," Scrimgeour spoke to the Headmaster.

"My office, password is Blood Pop," Dumbledore replied numbly.

"Come with me, Minister Fudge," Scrimgeour spat as he drug the Minister out by his robes.

"James, we need to talk," Dumbledore watched the boy that had moved back to Hermione's bed. "There is something important you need to know about," he continued.

"Then talk," James frowned at the man, making sure Hermione was comfortable.

"It is really something that you should hear alone James," Dumbledore protested.

"Not leaving them, so talk," James ignored him, climbing in the bed beside Hermione, cradling her body next to his own.

"There was a prophecy, before you were born, it said…" Dumbledore was interrupted.

"That James has the power the Dark Lord has not, and will defeat him," Luna's calm voice jumped in as she sat up in her bed.

"Miss Lovegood!" Dumbledore rushed over as Pomfrey examined her. "Do you know what it was that they cursed you with?" he was stunned as she looked back with her eyes, now completely black, like the spell that had hit her.

"No sir, but don't worry, it cannot be cured," she smiled at him. "I don't see anything anymore," she wiped a tear away. "I still see… but I am blind," she chuckled at the Headmaster.

"Miss Lovegood, there must be some way we can help you, some countercurse, possibly a magical eye like Alastor," Pomfrey examined the eyes as she talked to the girl.

"No need Madam Pomfrey," Luna smiled. "They won't work, the curse has permanently damaged the nerves in my eyes, I will never see again," she glanced her side where she heard Frank being treated still. "The fates are strange, they show so much ahead of time, but when the event is near…the choices are narrowed," she mused.

"Miss Lovegood, are you sure…" Dumbledore stopped as she got up and walked over to Frank's bed, as if she knew where everything was.

"Quite sure Headmaster," she smiled. "This war needs and end, I needed to get him away from danger," she patted Frank on the arm. "He still has a role to play, as do we all," she glided back to her bed, curling up in it. "You should gather your Order Headmaster," she whispered. "He is coming, he is coming to destroy Hogwarts," she murmured before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

**A/N: See, I'm not evil, she's fine, just blind. Anyway, the next chapter will likely be a slower update that usual, it will be the final chapter, and probably 2-3x as long as any other chapter. In addition to that, I will not be publishing it until I have the Prologues for Project: Super Soldier and Unified Theory ready to post. Yup, I'll be posting both new stories the same time I finish this one. And to those who have mentioned the Horcruxes, they do not come into play in this story and will not be hinted at. Since Harry never met the Weasleys, Malfoy had no reason to sneak Ginny the diary, so Dumbledore's idea that there might have been Horcruxes never really happened. Of course, there might be Horcruxes, depends if I ever want to do a sequel^^**


	24. Chapter 23: Endgame

**James Castle**

**Chapter 23: Endgame**

Four days later, Luna's prediction came true. Voldemort's army had gathered after the battle of Hogsmeade and slowly began moving towards Hogwarts destroying everything in their path. No one had heard from Scrimgeour after he had disappeared with Fudge. The Ministry had been attacked by a team of Death Eaters at the same time as the Hogsmeade attack and all owls sent there were being returned with a generic message that the Ministry was locked down until further notice.

The families and students that were in Hogsmeade during the attack escaped none the worse for wear, not counting the families that were killed to use their Floo connections for Death Eater reinforcements. The people of Hogsmeade were given temporary housing in the castle by Dumbledore as they were forced to evacuate as Voldemort's full army returned days later and overran the town.

Families of students began arriving a couple days after the attack, to check on their kids and complain to the Headmaster about the danger they were put in. Unfortunately for them, Voldemort's armies had surrounded the castle shortly afterwards, trapping them inside the castle.

The defenders of the Hogsmeade were recovering as well as could be expected. Everyone's wounds were more or less healed, besides Luna's blindness, which she kept assuring them was no trouble, oftentimes as she held a Quibbler in front of her face 'reading'.

The Great Hall was packed one night, with all the families, students, and refugees when a loud voice broke over the castle. "I am Lord Voldemort," the voice boomed as people began to scream and panic. "You will surrender Harry Potter and Frank Castle to me tomorrow at noon, or we will destroy you all," the voice boomed, shaking the Great Hall.

All sets of eyes in the room turned to look at the small table where the people that had defended Hogsmeade were eating alone, talking among themselves. James frowned, pushing himself away from the table, headed to the exit of the Great Hall.

"James, where are you going?" Dumbledore asked as he quickly ran across the room to intercept the boy.

"To get ready, still have to figure out the power he knows not and all," James stormed off, Hermione pushing past the Headmaster apologizing as she caught up with him.

**

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**

"You okay?" Hermione came up behind James, draping her arms across his chest as he stared into the fire in the Gryffindor common room, alone on the large couch; all the other kids had gone to bed after seeing the look on his face.

"Wonderful," James frowned, doodling on the notepad he had before him.

"Looks very interesting," Hermione laughed as she slipped in beside him, taking the notebook from his hands. She flipped past the doodles, seeing what he had jotted down, before giving it back to him. "Not bad, might just work ," she smiled, pulling him close. "Come on now, it's time for bed," she grabbed him by his hand, pulling him along.

"Hermione, I need time to prepare, to get everyone in on the plans," he complained as she pulled him to the stairs to the girls' dorms, muttering an incantation at the banister.

"Everyone who is going to fight tomorrow needs a night of rest James," she glanced down at him from the top of the stairs. "I just disabled all the charms in the school keeping boys from going to girls' rooms," she taunted him. "Now get up here, before I find someone else to do it," she threatened as she ran to her room, seeing he had already started climbing the stairs after her.

**

* * *

  
**

"Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived-Then-Died-Then-Lived-Again," Voldemort glared at James who was flanked by Dumbledore on the right and Frank on the left. Voldemort had the few surviving members on his inner circle with him, leaving the bulk of his army at the tree line. "Might I ask as to where Severus has disappeared to?" Voldemort smirked at the men in front of him.

"He's badly injured, some Hufflepuffs blasted a wall into his face," Frank glared at the Dark Lord as he limped forward. "We gave the bastard to the Ministry, so much for your spy."

"A pity, he was always a useful tool," Voldemort smirked at Dumbledore.

"You won't spare them Tom, so why the promises?" Dumbledore asked, glancing back at the closed castle gates.

"Truthfully? To see if they would force you to come out, or to see if you came out on your own?" Voldemort laughed at the men in front of him. "Are you ready to die today?"

**

* * *

  
**

"Not looking good, is it?" Max asked as he surveyed the crowd of Death Eaters, trolls, and the like through his high powered rifle scope.

"No, not really," his partner replied as neither noticed the figure behind them pull their wand, blonde hair glistening in the sunlight.

**

* * *

  
**

Draco Malfoy left his companions, Crabbe and Goyle behind as he felt the orders from his master come through the Dark Mark. Most of the Slytherins had been imprisoned in their tower after the attack on Hogsmeade, the only contact being from the house elves that brought them food, and the commands issued through their Dark Marks.

They had managed to break down the tower's main door, using the combined power of all the children of Death Eaters present, besides Draco. He leapt through the door, rolling on the ground before gathering his bearings and sprinting up the closest set of stairs. His lungs burned as he exited the stairwell, recognizing the door to the astronomy tower that was overlooking the battle going on below. He paused as he reached the door, feeling something move behind him, whipping his wand out to meet his opponent.

"Hello Draco, I beg you to reconsider this course of action," Luna smiled at Draco, with her closed eyes.

"Lovegood, I heard you were blind," Draco sneered, stepping away from the door to taunt the girl.

"Can't see a lick," she smiled at where she thought he was. "Draco, lay down your wand, or I will be forced to duel you," she opened her eyes that had turned completely black at him.

"My master commands," Draco ignored her, going to the door that had a pair of chains wrap around it suddenly. "Do you really want to die that much? You can't even see!" he growled at her, throwing a Reducto that destroyed the wall behind her.

"Please Draco, surrender now," Luna's black eyes watched him as he threw curse after curse at her, avoiding them by a hair each time.

"Stay still you bloody witch!" Draco shouted as Luna froze in his sights. "Reducto!"

**

* * *

  
**

"Steady now," Remus Lupin tried to calm the witches and wizards that were gathered just outside the entrance to the school. "Wait for the signal before engaging the enemy," he lectured like he was teaching again, going over the plan James had laid out.

"There's a lot more of them than I thought," Hermione said quietly beside him, taking in the numbers of trolls and giants she counted.

"Steady girl, stick to the plan," Remus gave her arm a quick squeeze.

**

* * *

  
**

"Death isn't really high up there on my to do list, I'm personally looking forward to shacking up with a nice witch tonight," James laughed at the Dark Lord. "I have no intention of dying today," he glared at Voldemort.

"You are surrounded by an army, if whatever ragtag army you have in there fights, they will die," Voldemort glared at them. "The Ministry will not come to save you, they are crippled," Voldemort taunted. "It's just you, alone against my army," Voldemort hissed.

"You're half right, we're not alone, and your army is about to get a lot smaller," Frank raised his hand, waving it behind him.

Voldemort frowned as most of the Hogwarts sixth and seventh years, along with nearly fifty adult wizards moved out from the castle entrance, hands on their wands. "That is all you have to offer as a resistance?" Voldemort laughed.

"No," Frank shook his head at Voldemort. "The others just take a little time to find their targets," he commented as the giants and trolls at the back of the army came under fire from the centaurs in the forest and two snipers in the tower.

"Kill those beasts," Voldemort snarled at one of his Death Eaters. "Send the Dementors to kill whoever is in that tower," he shouted back at his army.

"Shall we dance?" James smirked and drew his wand and gun, along with Dumbledore and Frank.

"Kill them all," Voldemort hissed to his Death Eaters as the battle began.

**

* * *

  
**

"There's the signal, get ready," Remus ordered as he moved out from his cover with the other defenders. "Wait for it," he cautioned as he watched James, Frank, and Dumbledore talk with Voldemort a bit more. "Now!" he shouted and ran forward as Voldemort and his Death Eaters started firing on the three men in front of them.

**

* * *

  
**

The blonde haired figure moved their wand between the two snipers for a moment as they continued firing, before choosing her target. "Expecto Patronum!" Luna shouted, startling the squib Max Smart, and the Muggle Frank Castle. She smiled as they turned to look at her as her patronus, a duck-billed platypus, circled in the air, keeping the Dementors away.

"Luna?" Frank pulled back from his rifle, moving to the girl. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked her.

"You two would be killed most quickly, if no one was here to protect you," she smiled at them. "I will keep the Dementors away, keep shooting," she hummed a song to herself, concentrating on strengthening her magic.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, wiping a spot of blood from her cheek.

"I am fine, Draco Malfoy was on his way here, he would have ambushed and killed the both of you," she sighed. "I begged him to surrender, but he decided to fight me," she sniffed back a tear. "He fell from the tower, he tried to hit me with a Reducto, but the shockwave when I blocked it knocked him out a hole he had blasted earlier trying to kill me," she smiled weakly. "You should get back to your position, there are many targets to choose from," she patted Frank on the head like a dog, before closing her eyes and humming, concentrating on her Patronus.

**

* * *

  
**

"Move, move!" Frank shouted as dove to one side with James as Dumbledore covered the other other side.

"So much for the plan," James grumbled, pulling his wand in one hand, a pistol in the other. "Go on three?" he asked, peeking around the earthen barrier they had created.

"Got a few on your side, and some more on mine, including the snakeface," Frank replied after taking a quick peek around the side. "One, two, three," he counted before the two of them spun around, firing at the dark wizards. Frank moved quickly, nailing three Death Eaters before dropping to a Crucio.

James dodged out the other side, launching a couple spells and shots at Voldemort himself, that the Dark Lord easily shielded. "Accio!" Voldemort hissed as Frank's body flew to his hand, using him as a shield against James. "Give up boy, or I will kill him," Voldemort hissed as he gripped Frank by the throat. James tossed his gun and wand to the ground dejectedly, glaring at the Voldemort. "Crucio!" Voldemort shouted the curse at Frank as he tossed him to the ground.

Voldemort's laugher stopped as Frank struggled to his feet against the pain. "Crucio!" he roared, doubling the power he was putting into the spell. Frank staggered for a moment, but kept rising. "Impressive, Muggle," he hissed at the man. "What fuels you, Frank Castle? What keeps you going when you know the fight is lost?" Voldemort snarled as he kept his power focused on the spell.

"I fight for those who can't," Frank glared at Voldemort, fighting off the spell. "I fight to protect those I love," his eyes flashed green as a crackle of magic surrounded him. "I fight, to make you pay for what you did to me!" he shouted as a magical shockwave erupted around him, ending the effects of the polyjuice potion. "I fight to kill you today, you snake faced son of a bitch," James stood a few feet away from the Dark Lord as he shook off the last bits of Frank's form.

"Then who…" Voldemort looked quickly at 'James' who had reverted back to the form of Sirius Black and summoned his weapons back to his hands. "Where is The Punisher?" Voldemort snarled at the boy in front of him. "I will not be denied my revenge," he spat at James.

**

* * *

  
**

Dumbledore dodged to the opposite side of James and Sirius as the fight began. He stared down the Death Eaters opposite him, waving his wand, quickly knocking them out with a barrage of spells, reminding them why he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. He watched the edge of the forest as the gathered giants, trolls, and other dark creatures were cut down by a rain of gunfire from the tower and arrows from the forest.

He allowed himself a moment to smile, before stunning a werewolf that had moved to attack him, noticing the fury that Bane the centaur grappled with a troll, dropping his bow on the ground. He twirled his beard in his hand as he shielded himself from another attack. "Quite curious, Bane fighting like that," he mused under his breath as he transfigured rocks to block the spells coming at him. "Oh Merlin," he frowned to himself as things clicked into place.

He turned in time to see 'Frank' fighting against the Imperius curse, feeling the small shock wave of magic from him. He smiled a bit as Voldemort took a step back from the boy, startled by whatever he was saying. "Well played, well played," Dumbledore turned his back on Voldemort, focusing his attention on keeping the other Death Eaters from getting to James.

**

* * *

  
**

Hermione ran forward to the Death Eaters, Remus Lupin on one side and Ron Weasley on the other. Spells fired from all sides as she outran the others, shooting from her wand in one hand, the pistol Harry gave her in the other. The defenders clashed loudly with the Dark Lord's army as spells erupted all around. She ducked a spell from a Death Eater, shooting him in the gut as she spun past him, concentrating on reaching James and Voldemort.

**

* * *

  
**

"Frank Castle is up there," James jerked his head back at the tower that was glowing from the Patronus being cast. "If you're looking for The Punisher, I solemnly swear I am up to no good," James pressed his wand to the corner of his robes, changing them to the tattered Punisher gear he had worn in Hogsmeade. "Frank did not come here until Christmas," James glared back at the Dark Lord. "It was me," he smiled as Voldemort grew furious. "It's just you and me," James held his arms at his side, ready to draw on the Dark Lord in a moment.

"I have to admit I am impressed Mr. Potter," Voldemort hissed at him. "Hiding here in Hogwarts the whole time," Voldemort sneered."

"I wouldn't call it hiding, so much as waiting as I took your idiots out," James stared back at him. "I killed Bellatrix, I delivered Wormtail to Sirius, I raided all those houses, it was all me," he watched Voldemort carefully. "What, no witty response?" James glared at him.

"I will destroy you, and all you hold dear," Voldemort threatened.

"You'll have to go through me first," James smiled back as the two of them pulled their weapons and began to duel.

**

* * *

  
**

"James!" Hermione yelled as she watched him begin to fight Voldemort one on one. "Out of my way Remus," she glared at the werewolf that tried to hold her back. "He needs me!" she slapped him in the face hard before he grabbed her arms holding her still.

"He does not need you, he needs you to stay safe," Remus stood by her, fighting back the Death Eaters. "Let him be," he ordered Hermione as they concentrated spell fire on a group of werewolves. "See?" he growled as he shielded a red spell that was headed at the two of them. "He's fine, he just needs us to stay safe and out of the way," Remus pointed to where James and Voldemort were circling each other, throwing spells back and forth like it was nothing.

**

* * *

  
**

"How's it looking on your end?" Frank asked as he drilled another giant in the eyes, making sure to avoid Haggrid and his half-brother.

"Oh, peachy," Max frowned as he fired at a troll that was closing in on Lupin and Hermione. "You think your boy can do this?" he shouted back over to Frank.

"James will be fine," Luna smiled as her Patronus shield around the tower flared, sending the Dementors away. "The show is about to begin," she smiled.

**

* * *

  
**

James dove and roll out of the range of a Reducto from Voldemort, propelled along as he conjured a wall of dirt to shield him. "That all you got, you snaked face son of a bitch?!" James yelled at the Dark Lord as the barrier exploded behind him.

"Your games are beginning to annoy me boy, what with the hiding behind others and all," Voldemort hissed. "No more hiding boy," he snarled, destroying the mound of dirt James was behind as he dove out of the way. "Finally grown a backbone, have you?" Voldemort taunted as James got up pointing his wand at him.

"I've always had what took to destroy you," James glared back at the man. "You're an idiot, obsessed with power," he frowned as the two of them eyed the end of the other's wands. "Me, I fight for the good side," James dropped his arms, glaring at the end of Voldemort's wand.

"Harry!" Dumbledore yelled as he caught sight of James being defenseless at the mercy of Voldemort.

"Imperio!" Voldemort shouted, casting the spell on James. "Draw your wand, kill Dumbledore," Voldemort ordered.

**

* * *

  
**

"Oh hell," Frank swore as he caught sight of James pointing his wand at Dumbledore. He swiveled to the left, catching sight of Voldemort. "Max, Snake at 10:45, fire at will," he shouted as he fired at Voldemort.

**

* * *

  
**

"James!" Hermione yelled as she saw the curse wash over him, taking control. "No!" she screamed, shooting a Death Eater that was taking aim at her. "Shoot him now!" she screamed to the wizards and witches that had helped lead the attack, taking the time to aim and fire a half dozen of the Reducto shots from her pistol.

**

* * *

  
**

"It's over Dumbledore," Voldemort laughed as he controlled James, having the boy take aim at the Headmaster. "You will die, and then I will finish the boy," Voldemort hissed as he turned to reinforce his shield against the spells and bullets that came at him. "That the best you have?!" he screamed at the night as he deflected and absorbed the shots.

"No, I have a couple more tricks," Voldemort froze as he felt the gun press to the back of his head.

"Impossible!" Voldemort hissed, spit flying from his mouth as he slowly turned to face the boy. "You were under my Imperio, I had you under the Cruciatus earlier," Voldemort ranted.

"Yeah, and you tried to AK me when I was a kid, guess I get the hat trick," James looked him in the eyes. "I was trained to overpower the Imperio and Cruciatus," James watched him carefully. "Goodbye Voldemort," James nodded slightly before pulling the trigger, spraying a shower of blood from the back of the Dark Lord's head.

**

* * *

  
**

Remus froze as he saw James take aim at Dumbledore. He watched Hermione shoot at Voldemort, only drawing his attention their way for a moment. He struggled to hold Hermione back after she shot at Voldemort, trying to help James. "Down!" he yelled as he pulled her down, avoiding some spell fire from the enemy wizards.

**

* * *

  
**

The roar over the battlefield died as a single shot rang out. The defenders moved quickly as the Death Eaters clutched their arms in pain. The Dementors, Trolls, and Giants felt the change and moved to flee as fast as they could. James moved over the body of Voldemort, firing shot after shot, no one moving to stop him until Hermione made her way through the crowd.

"James?" she asked as he fired another shot into what was left of Voldemort's head. "James," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hermione?" he asked, shaking his head, trying to make sense of the battle. "Is he gone?" he relaxed, grabbing Hermione around the waist.

"Yeah James, he's gone," Hermione smiled as she comforted him.

**

* * *

  
**

_The Daily Prophet, Special Edition, May 15__th_

_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, aka Lord Voldemort is dead. He was defeated in a heated battle at Hogwarts when he faced off against The-Boy-Who-Lived, aka Harry Potter, aka James Castle. The forces of Light feigned weakness in order to draw in the armies of the Dark Lord before they turned the tables and drove back their enemies._

_Harry Potter was unavailable for comment following the battle, having disappeared with his paramour, Hermione Granger in the direction of the castle immediately following the battle. Albus Dumbledore was questioned shortly after the final battle and said the following: "We were saved today by quick thinking and cooperation with our Muggle allies. The Punisher, that the Aurors have been looking for, for the past months, is none other than Harry Potter. He had been polyjuicing as his uncle in order to take out his vendetta against Voldemort without being caught."_

_The Ministry of Magic has issued orders for the capture of Harry Potter, aka James Castle, as well as Frank Castle, Maxwell Smart, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, on charges of unlawful operation of a militia, murder, violations against the statute of secrecy, and treason against the Ministry._

_Hogwarts, the rumored current home of these men has been closed and denied entrance to all Aurors following the battle five days ago. Albus Dumbledore has ignored all requests for an interview, sending the following statement._

"_In a time of war, people must do desperate things to keep the peace. Brave men fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Most of you were hiding in your homes as the final battle took place. Do not question the integrity of those men who defended your way of life."_

**

* * *

  
**

"All packed?" James asked as he watched Hermione double check all her shelves and drawers for books.

"I think so," she looked over the room, now stripped bare of all that made it hers. "I can't believe I'm quitting school…" she frowned as she walked to the common room with James.

"Don't call it quitting, call it broadening your horizons," he gave her a peck on the cheek as they came down the stairs to where Frank was waiting. "This is one hell of an ugly welcoming party," James laughed, grabbing the man in a hug.

"Stuff it, the others went to make sure the safe house was safe," Frank smiled, messing up James' hair.

"Damn it Frank," James swore as Hermione joined Frank in laughing as he tried to straighten out his hair.

"I bet chicks dig the annoyed hero look, what do you think Hermione?" Frank asked as Hermione blushed and helped James straighten his hair. "Look at you two, already acting like you're married," Frank laughed again as the kids blushed.

"Enough Frank," James frowned, moving with Hermione's shrunken trunk to the fire. "This is secure?" he asked Frank.

"Far as I know, I'm just the middle man here," Frank shrugged.

"Ready to go Hermione?" he held his girlfriend's hands in his own as he looked into her eyes. "I love you," he whispered as he felt the small ring on her finger.

"I'm good," she smiled back at him. "Better get going, Luna will be mad if we're late for our own wedding," she kissed him quickly before throwing a handful of powder and jumping into the Floo.

"Nice woman you have there James," Frank watched the young man as he pulled another handful of powder out.

"I know, don't know what she sees in me," James sighed.

"Chicks dig the hero James, never forget that," Frank patted him on the back.

"Gee, thanks Frank, ready to go?" James asked before throwing the powder into the Floo.

**A/N: Well, got my doublecross, some shooting, some deaths. Think I did pretty good for the story as a whole, more or less. I am going to work on the Cap. America and Iron Man stories next, then if I can think up a good premise, maybe revisit this with a part two. I left enough openings in the end to drive a truck through on purpose. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.**

**Anyway, that's it for here, I think I wrapped it up good enough, was realistic and ignored some of the crap in the books that needed ignored. IF I do a sequel, it will not be posted until the ends of the Cap/Iron Man stories, so don't be holding your breath. It took me 5 weeks to write this, so at that rate, a sequel will begin in January at earliest unless I write fast.**

**Can't really think of anything else, I know lots of you wanted to know more about Luna, Ron, etc., but I did not want to go into it here. You can be guaranteed that if/when the sequel comes things will be explained. Besides that, I am rambling. More or less, I am happy with how this story turned out, encouraged by reviews, etc., etc. Off to shifting gears now, I need to write a WW2 fic and an Iron Man fic at the same time, so wish me luck, hope y'all liked this story.**

**-Bouncing Soul, RunningDemon, Cole, etc.**

**-PS. Please support Project: Super Soldier and Unified Theory, the aforementioned Cap and Iron Man stories.**


	25. James Castle: Butcher's Bill Preview

**Preview**

**James Potter: Butcher's Bill**

_(working title)_

"Harry Potter, throw down your wand and come out of there!" the Auror yelled at the outside of the building he had tracked the boy to. "I know you're in there, surrender now and come back to England to face trial for your crimes!" the man shouted, trying to unlock the magically sealed door.

"How about I just escape and leave your sorry ass here by yourself?" a voice shouted back from the warehouse. "I committed no crime, they were just Death Eaters!" James's green eyes peeked out the window at the growing crowd of Aurors.

"No one has the right to go above the law!" the man screamed. "Aurors, open fire!" he ordered as two dozen wands raised and fired.

* * *

"Milord," Narcissa Malfoy bowed to the figure in the throne. "There is news, the Aurors have tracked him and are returning him for trial," she explained.

"Begin preparations, I want him to beg me to kill him," the man smiled evilly.

**A/N: Yeah, it's a cruel teaser, I know. Current projects (since as of today I decided not to write 2 stories at a time) in order of what I will finish are:**

**Unified Theory**

**Super Soldier**

**The Demon Barber of Diagon Alley**

**James Castle: Butcher's Bill**

**Sorry for delays in updating UT and SS, but I got busy in RL, and it is just going to get worse until the holidays are over. And yes, if you look at #3, if you catch the reference, it is what you think it is.**


End file.
